


Wings Of Cupid

by Ammet_tua



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angels, Cupid!Keith, Cupid!Shiro, M/M, Minor Background Relationships, Romance, Slow Burn, little angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-01
Updated: 2018-12-30
Packaged: 2019-05-17 01:27:39
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 24,151
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14822615
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ammet_tua/pseuds/Ammet_tua
Summary: When Keith's first mission is assigned, he is finally able to go down to Earth. He finds out that he doesn't know everything about love despite his procedence. And losing his shots make things more difficult.Everything has its rules and love is no exception.An AU where being a Cupid is not an easy job and Keith is going to have more problems that he had thought.





	1. Arrival to Earth

**Author's Note:**

> The cupid AU no one asked for, but its here anyway so enjoy.
> 
> I will have warnings when the chapters requires it. This story is going to envolve a lot of pairings in a minor context just because it's part of Keith's job, so please don't be so upset about it.  
> Lots of love to my wonderful friend and [beta](https://quiiiznak.tumblr.com/)  
> Also, Kendra I hope you know this is your fault.

   Being an angel of love or how most people knows it -a cupid- is not an easy job, despite popular belief.

   Love is a hard and complicated job. Humans know it is. Angels know it is. For many, love is a science, for others -an art. But for Keith, it’s a little bit of both.

   He was walking through the gardens of flowers that lead to the Temple of Love. The conversion ceremony had taken place and he was now an angel of love; he finally was going on his first mission. He couldn’t be more excited. He had passed so much time studying humans and their relationships. He longed to go down to earth.

   He entered to the temple and kept forward to the main room. He stopped in front of a golden throne, decorated with ornaments of the same color, and sitting on the throne was the archangel Anael. His blonde hair at the height of his shoulders framed his sweet and smiley face.

   Keith made a bow when the archangel spotted him and stood up, giving little jumps of excitement.

   Anael was known in heaven for being a playful and kind angel. Always happy, distracted and sometimes a little too sensitive. As it was expected, only one archangel could not be in charge of the whole work that love was, with all its phases and varieties. Especially in times like this, when humans didn’t know how to distinguish between a type of love and another -a lot less its phases.

   It was too much. 

   So God had given him helpers -Angels with similar powers to his. They were responsible for spreading the feeling over the human world and they were born from the perfect union between lovers.

   “Keith.” The archangel said, taking Keith’s hands in his. His smile widened and his light intensified, filling Keith with peace and warmth; he smiled back. “Finally you will come down to earth! I’m so excited! Are you nervous?”

   Keith swallowed and smiled shyly, “a little bit. But I can deal with it.”

   Anael nodded energetically.

   “As determined as always,” he said, letting go of his hands. Keith was still restrained by the archangel’s energy and the attention he was giving him.

   Keith never believed that his presence was so overwhelming, and although he certainly was not, Keith was a relatively young angel. Anael used to pay attention to all his angels and took care of them. But to be in his presence as a cupid that was about to go down earth for the first time was completely different.

   “Make me proud.” Anael stroked Keith’s cheek while another angel approached behind him. 

   He carried in his hands an aquamarine cushion decorated with gold borders and on it, a small glass chest. Keith’s heart skipped a beat and began to pound. 

   The time had come.

   Anael opened the chest and extracted from it a golden chain. He spread it in front of Keith.

   “Now, extend your hands.” The archangel said and Keith did as he was told.

   Anael deposit the thin chain in Keith’s hands. He covered it in such a way that the chain will remain between his hands. Instantly, a warm, golden light covered his hands. He felt the need to bring them closer to his chest and when he did, the light changed to a reddish hue. Then it went out. Keith looked at the archangel, seeking his approval.

   “What are you waiting for?” Asked the archangel with excitement. “Let me see what it is.”

    Keith revealed the chain, showing his new charm.

   Anael applauded, pleased to see that it was a small, red-winged lion with a heart in its snout. Very similar to Shiro’s, if he remembered well, except that his was bigger and black.

   “Like father…” The archangel laughed. “This shows me how close you two are.” Keith nodded, knowing he was talking about Shiro. “Now. This pendant is your symbol; it will also allow you to hide your wings when you are in human form. Remember to be discreet and do not get too involved. Angel’s hearts are valuable.” Said the archangel, donning the necklace. 

   Keith nodded, taking the little lion in his hands.

   “Show me your bow,” asked the archangel, extending his hand. 

   Keith pulled down the right sleeve of his jacket and lifted the sleeve of his shirt to show the tattoo on his arm.

   Anael ran his fingers through the bow design, smiling. Then, the bow materialized on Keith’s hand, like a small crossbow that was held from the ring finger to the wrist. Anael nodded.

  “When you get to earth, you should go to the bookstore Shiro is taking care. You will know where it is, don’t worry. Get rest and the bow will know when you are ready. The first day on earth is a little uncomfortable, but you’ll be fine.” Again, he smiled reassuringly. “Everything is in order. I wish you the best of the luck, Keith.” He said cheerfully.

   Keith bowed and left the great hall, leaving behind a very enthusiastic archangel.

   A brunette angel led Keith to one of the back gardens of the Temple of Love, where the ceremony had taken place the previous day. The corridor that led them to the garden, had a simple and elegant decoration. The carpet was red, the walls lightly gilded, though Keith could swear it was a very light shade of brown.

   There also, were pictures of angels that Keith didn’t recognize, every certain distance. Keith had counted four and they were all decorated with different decorations and flowers. 

   Curiosity invaded him when the scent of roses interrupted his thoughts, making him forget the paintings.

   Keith had been in that garden several times and loved how the scent of roses covered much of the garden. The roses predominated, but there were thousands different and Keith had learned the name and scent of each, along with its meaning on Earth.

   The language of flowers came to his mind. A curious and beautiful tradition that had emerged among young people to communicate. He did not remember exactly when, he had never been very good with date. Currently, this language had been almost completely lost, yet the cupids were still learning and using it at their convenience. Keith´s favorite flowers were the roses that bordered the road he was walking and the tulips that were in the door that gave access to the back garden at the temple.

   They continued advancing along the path made of mosaics until they reach the pond.  When he passed over the designs of a red heart surrounded by white mosaics, he stopped. He swore it had flashed blue.

   “Are you ready?” The angel asked. Keith nodded. “In that case, let’s go.” The angel smiled kindly.

   Keith moved forward until the water reached his hip and he waited. He had seen Shiro do this a thousand times and it was exciting to know that it was his turn at last. A few seconds later, the waters began to glow with a bluish hue. On the surface of the water, a medium and cozy looking construction was reflected.

   “Is that the bookstore?” Keith asked. The angel nodded. “Okay.”

   Keith dived into the water. He had never entered the pond, it was forbidden until he was officially named. Now he was still swimming deeper and deeper.

   At first, Keith managed to distinguish rocks and some other vegetation, he didn’t realize when everything around him turned blue and darkened as he went. 

   Keith smiled, his wings opening magnificently causing piles of bubbles that tickled his cheeks. His body felt even lighter.

   From the bottom of the pond, although he could not make out anything, and now he could not even tell where the surface was. A whirlwind of bubbles enveloped him. Keith barely had time to cover his face to try to protect his sight. He felt pressure and then, his body was sucked to the bottom.

   He tried to keep his eyes open between so much bubbles and the current that kept pulling on him. The bubbles closed around him until he could see nothing. Everything turned white. He felt the pressure change, the suction force had disappeared and the bubbles had turned into clouds. He was flying. He took a few flips while laughing. 

   He was on Earth! 

   He kept flying, descending through the clouds. Below him, a city.

  Keith laughed, feeling the wind in his face, propelling his wings.

   “Sensational!” He exclaimed for himself.

   He spotted the place the pond had shown him. He swooped down and landed on the empty terrace of the bookstore, between tables ready to be used. 

   There was no one around apparently. He took his pendant with one hand and closed his eyes, thinking of adopting a human form, of hiding his wings. Almost instantly, a familiar reddish light enveloped him, forming a spiral that tickled where it passed and again, a similar pressure like the one he felt on the pond was running through his back. Right where his wings born. The light vanished along with his wings. 

   Keith couldn’t help looking over his shoulder to see if his wings had disappeared. 

   He took a look at himself. Same clothes, same complexion. The only difference was that he no longer felt his wings. He lifted his sleeve to make sure the tattoo wasn’t gone. There it was. He tucked the collar under his shirt and notice the ring in the shape of an arrow on his middle finger. His bow.

   Everything in order, like the archangel said.

   Then, he frowned. And Shiro? Where was he?

   Keith moved through the tables and entered the building. The interior of the bookstore was surrounded by bookshelves that covered the walls. There were pots everywhere, and armchairs with tables spread across the floor. Keith jump the three steps that led him to the landing to go down the stairs. That part of the floor was open and there were more shelves on the walls. The spiral staircase gave what could have been a patio if it had been a house. 

   Instead, islands of overflowing books welcomed him from below. When he leaned over the railing, he caught sight of Shiro on the island right under his feet. He sigh of relief.

   “Shiro!” He called.

   Shiro stood still for a moment and then looked up confused. His face brightened when he recognize him.

   “Keith!” He greeted with a big smile. Keith made his way down the stairs as fast as he could. “You finally arrived.”

   Keith smiled. They shook hands in a fraternal greeting, followed by a hug.

   “Did you just land?”

   “Yes. For a moment I thought I was in the wrong place.” He laughed.

   “I was expecting you to come and enter by the door,” Shiro said. “How do you feel?”

   “Strange,” he answer, moving one shoulder to try and feel the familiar weight of his wings, but to no avail.

   Shiro laughed and clapped him on the back.

   “You’ll get used to it. C’mon. Let me show you the place.” Shiro gestured with his hands to tell Keith he would follow. Keith walked behind him, as Shiro showed him the rest of the bookstore. He showed him the small kitchen and the restaurant area on the ground floor. Keith’s stomach made a noise, making Shiro laugh again. 

   “Do you want to eat?”  

   “It seem I do.” Keith said, embarrassed.

   “I bet it was an exciting flight. I’ll give you something, come here.”

   They both entered the kitchen, where one person waited.

   “Why is nobody else here?” Keith asked.

   “We were waiting for you, so I decide to open the bookstore a little bit more later. Although you arrived earlier than we expected. I would have something prepared by then.”

   Shiro introduce him to the chef, who, to Keith’s surprise, was also an angel. His name was Haniel and he had been taking care of the kitchen a while like Shiro took care of the bookstore.

   The place was like a refuge for angels, some passing by, some like Shiro, whose place was that city. There were several places like that distributed throughout the city. And the world in general, of course.

   Haniel placed a plate of cake in front of him and Keith’s face contracted with the first bite; It was delicious.

  “So, another cupid, huh?” Haniel asked and smiled to him.

   Shiro nodded. 

   “Are you passing by, or will you stay here?” Haniel asked, stuffing a piece of fruit into his mouth. 

   “I’ll stay here, I guess.” Haniel nodded, smiling and chewing.

   “Can I ask what my work will be here?” Keith asked Shiro, looking around the bookstore. “Waiter or salesman?” 

   “We’ll see,” Shiro clapped him on the shoulder. “It’s almost time to open.” He said, winked at Keith and left the dining room.

   “How do you feel, boy?” Haniel pointed with his thumb towards his back while he continued to pile clean dishes. Keith cocked his head for a second, understanding that he was referring to his wings. 

   “Ah! It’s a bit uncomfortable, but I guess it’s normal,” he shrugged.

   “You’ll get used to it,” Haniel smiled kindly. Keith nodded.

 

   Later that day, Keith was behind of the counters nest to Shiro. He watched him wrap a book in gift paper and when the client left, he crossed his arms.

   “How exactly does this work?” He asked, raising one eyebrow. Shiro glanced at him before picking up what was left of the wrapping paper from the counter.

   “What?” he asked absently.

   “You know, _our work_ as angels of love. I don’t think Haniel has much action inside the kitchen,” Keith pointed to the kitchen and Shiro laughed.

   “Haniel is not like us, he is a guardian angel,” Shiro said happily. “Also, if you knew humans a little better, you would know that many convey feelings through food.”

   “No, I know that.” Keith shook his head. “But, if he isn’t a cupid, what’s he doing here?”

   “This bookstore provide angels a place to hide. Some stay to help while they rest, others are passing while they complete their task. And we, well, we have permanent residence here.”

   “And how do I _shoot_ from behind a counter?” Keith exhaled.

   “Quiet. When you have work to do, the bow will tell you where to go and who to look for.”

   “Then why so much facade?”

   “Keith, love is a complicated business at times. I know you understand, I’ve seen you devour books in Anael’s library. There are times when you do not need to do anything but listen,” Shiro said, carrying a smell stack of books and carrying it to the island of books in front of them. He set out to accommodate the exhibition with Keith’s help.

   “And give them advice?” Keith asked, passing him another book.

   “Exactly.”

   “But, how do _I_ approach them?” Shiro went back to the counter and picked up one of the boxes underneath. He instructed Keith to carry another and they went up the stairs.

   Shiro placed the box on the floor and knelt down to put the books on the shelf.

   “Keith, most of these people come here to relax. We have created a reputation with that intention. You have to make conversation with them, you know who has problems, use your empathy,” he said, arranging the books.

   “Shiro!” Said a woman who ran up the stairs. “Do you have a minute?” She asked, catching her breath.

   “Hello, Elena,” Shiro said, getting up and addressing Keith. “Finish this, please.”

   Keith watched Shiro approach the woman and taking her to one of the tables. While putting the books on the shelves, he could not hear anything of the conversation, but could see how the expressions of the girl changes from joy to frustration. He also noticed all her attention was on Shiro, whatever it was that he was telling her.

   By the time Keith finished arranging the books of both boxes, the woman got up from the table, thanking Shiro with all the sincerity her eyes could transmit and she left.

   “So, that’s how it works,” Keith asked once Shiro was by his side.

   “Yes, sometimes.” 

   Keith frowned and pressed his lips in a straight line. 

   “Hey, don’t get frustrated. That’s only what we have to do while you don’t have someone to shoot,” Shiro encouraged him.

   In the end Keith sighed. He closed his eyes, and inhaled deeply. He relaxed his shoulders. He could do it, that was what he loved and longed for and what he was made for. And he would do it well. He opened his eyes looking for Shiro eyes, who was staring at him.

   “Where do I begin?” He asked, decisively. Shiro smiled, proud.

   And so, he ended up in the front counter, right at the entrance and with a view both to the street to his side and to the area of the restaurant and kitchen in front.

   People went in and out of the bookstore. Keith couldn’t help but feel the emotions of the people passing by the cash register or when the books were being collected. He wasn’t 100 percent sure how to start a conversation with clients to get them to look for him like they were for Shiro, or some of the others employees in the place. All were angels, including the waiters.

   When it was time to close, all the angels of the place came to congratulate him for his first day. Keith didn’t think it was the great thing, but he appreciated it anyway.

   Shiro told him he would stay with him at the bookstore. They went up to the second floor, where Shiro showed him what looked like and apartment with many rooms. He showed him the kitchen and the rooms, and left him in what be his room. Keith thank him and sat on the bed. He had a window, that as good, he was used to looked at the stars before sleeping, fantasizing about going down to Earth. Now that he was on Earth, he couldn’t wait to shoot couples, he longed for the bow to indicate his first task soon.

   The next day, he was back in the cash register, when he felt his ring vibrate slightly. Excited, he realized that the place he was to go to was written on the back of his hand. 

   Enthusiasm ran through him from head to toe and he almost jumped over the counter to tell Shiro. He was crouching on the exhibition table near the register.

   “Shiro!” He exclaimed. “I have to go.”

   “Already? Where?”

   “I don’t know!” He showed his hand to Shiro, who read quickly the address.

   “The art gallery?” Shiro asked, almost breathless. Keith was so happy he ignored him.

   “Can I get there by flying?”

   “You can get there by walking. It’s three streets from here.”

   “Great!” Keith jump down from the table. Turning around to leave, he realized something important. He retraced his steps. “How will I know who to strike?”

   “The bow will help you. Trust in it”

   Keith nodded. He was not sure what he meant exactly, but until now, things had worked out pretty well by following his instincts. He said he could do it and trusted Shiro.

   “All right, see you later!” he said, smiled and left the bookstore. 

   Shiro watched him leave. Crossing his arms, he sighed.

   “His first task?” Haniel’s voice came from the side. Shiro nodded without looking away from the entrance. “Do you think he will be fine?” Shiro shook his head.

   “I don’t know. The first mission is the most difficult,” he said, worry in his voice. Haniel put a hand on his shoulder.

   “He is a strong boy, do you trust him?”

   “With my life.” Haniel smiled warmly.

   “Then he will be fine.” He gave Shiro a squeeze on the shoulder before returning to the kitchen.


	2. Love is an art

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith face his first task... and maybe a little more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was going to be updated sooner but, well, life.   
> This weeks had been a nightmare keeping me busy, but I feel like I can breathe a little more, at least before school starts.  
> Anyway, thank you so to the people reading this silly AU and of course, to my beautiful beta.  
> Enjoy!

Hunk watched the paintings as he walked. Some with interest, some just took a look. He looked at his friend, bending to see better a carved marble bust.

“Remind me, what are we doing here, Lance?” he said.

“I have a homework on the most important art movements,” Lance said, cocking his head to observe better the profile of the sculpture.

“You know nothing about art.” Hunk rolled his eyes.

“Exactly. That’s why we are here. Also, my older brother got one of the museum guides to give a little private tour.

“And where is she?” Hunk asked.

“We’ll see her in the East room in an hour.”

“What do we do here so early?”

“Hunk, I’m surprised by your lack of creativity. Maybe we could find some pretty girls around here,” Lance said, standing to walk beside Hunk.

“Oh, man! Seriously?”

“Of course” You never know the kind of people you can find in a gallery. Is well said that if you want to find a couple with similar tastes, you should look for it in the places you frequent.”

“You are not frequent at the museum. You don’t like art.” 

“But my dear friend! I like to learn.” He said, taking his hand to his chest, like he was hurt.

“As you said, buddy,” said Hunk, smiling and rolling his eyes once again. He left Lance involuntarily as he looked at some painting.

Art had never been Hunk’s forte. It interested him. The paintings caught his attention only if was some kind of landscape or a picturesque scene. The ones that looked like splashes simply were not his land.

 

Keith managed to get to the art gallery in what he could say a good time. He couldn’t fly,so he had run. It wasn’t something that disgusted him. He felt a certain sense of freedom, it wasn’t the same as flying, but it was getting closer.

He entered the building, panting slightly, without letting fatigue diminish his optimism. He looked around. There were very few people and many paintings on the walls. He walked between them, paying attention to any vibration in his ring as he passed by someone.

Nothing.

He kept walking, barely paying attention to the paintings. 

Half an hour later he found the way to a patio at the center of the construction, but not a sign. He leaned against a tree and crossed his arms, frowning.

It was when he noticed a girl running down the cobbled path that crossed the courtyard. She had a few papers in her hands, and her face contorted in a worried frown. Her feet tangled in the long skirt that she wore making her lose her balance.

Anticipating the tragedy about to happen, Keith moved as fast as he could and stopped his fall. She let out a scream, closed her eyes waiting for the blow. Everything in her hands fell to the ground, except her. She opened her eyes to meet Keith face to face.

“Are you okay?” he asked, still holding her.

“Yes,” she said, her eyes wide. She straightened up completely and brushed a strand of hair behind her ear with a slight blush on her cheeks. “Thank you very much.”

Keith smiled and bend down to help her. She imitated him quick and clumsy movements

“I’m sorry,” she said. Keith shook his head, but he could feel that she was in a hurry to deliver the documents she was carrying.

“You work here?” he asked. She nodded, gathering all the papers and getting up.

“I’m assistant to the owner and she has a special tour in a few minutes.” Keith didn’t know what else to say, the girl was in a hurry, but leaving the conversation like that would be rude. “Thanks for helping me,” she said timidly. “My name is Shay.”

“Keith,” he said, extending his hand. He knew that many humans introduced themselves like that. She accepted it and smiled at him.

“I have to go, but I hope to see you soon around here,” she said, waving a hand in farewell and continuing on her way.

Just as Shay stepped through the glass doors that opened onto the showroom, his ring began to vibrate almost imperceptibly. Keith looked at his hand, then at the door, then at his ring again.

“You have to be kidding me,” he growled, returning to the room.

 

Turning around a superimposed wall for the exhibition, Hunk came face to face with a girl who almost runs over him. She asked for an apology and continued.

Hunk stayed there, just watching her run, until he was out of sight.

“Hunk!” Lance exclaimed, making him jump. He turned  to see his friend, Lance was walking toward hims with a frown. “I can not take my eyes off you for a second, we’re supposed to see the guide in 15 minutes,” he reproached, dragging him from the room.

“I was distracted just for a second.” He shrugged.

He hadn’t even noticed how long he had separated from Lance, it had seemed like a few minutes. They passed several people without care, while Hunk mumbled apologies in a low voice to them.

They arrived at the East room, surrounding the central garden, a few minutes before a tall young woman with white hair tied in a tall ponytail presented herself with a smile. Elegant, slender and Lance was already drooling over her.

“Hello guys,” she greeted.

Hunk watched the change in Lance’s face. From his natural smile to his flirtatious smile. Now he had present in his eyes that amusing and curious brightness every time a girl approached him. Even his voice was deeper. 

Hunk had no idea how he did it, nor was it working all the time. He had been present on the rare occasions when a girl corresponded to Lance’s flirtations, but nothing more serious had ever happened.

“Hello,” Lance said, making the sound of the ‘o’ more larger, and his teeth glowed as they always did. “The name’s Lance and this is my friend Hunk,” he pointed without paying much attention. Then he ran his hand through his hair. “You must be the museum’s guide.”

“Allura,” she said. “A pleasure. Let’s start here,” she asked, indicating the way forward and ignoring Lance’s attitudes. Hunk sighed, a typical situation.

The next hour, they didn’t have such a bad time. 

Hunk was surprised by Allura’s ability to turn boring paintings into something more interesting, from anecdotes about artists to funny stories that had happened to her when the paintings came first to the gallery. And with so many visitors, they were not few stories. Her attitude also helped. She was cheerful, friendly and very intelligent. All the time, Lance focused his attention on her. Hunk was sure Lance had heard everything Allura had said, but he couldn’t stop from admiring her.

At the end of the tour, they returned to where they started in first place. Allura extended her arms, embracing the room with her joy.

“Well,” she smiled. “That’s it.”

“You know something?” Lance asked, and Hunk could feel that he was about to compliment her. “I’ve seen lots of art today and still, the most beautiful is you.”

And there it was.

Allura sighed, but smiled at him.

“Thank you Lance. But I’m not interested,” Lance shrugged, but smiled equally. “Is there anything else I can help you?” she asked kindly.

“No, thank you very much, Allura,” Hunk said. She nodded.

“Take care, guys,” she said, before retreating.

Once alone, Lance turned to Hunk. He was already waiting for the moment when he would let himself speak and babbles about how splendid Alluras was.

He heard it because Lance was his best friend and, in spite of how he frequently fell in love, Hunk hoped that Lance would find true love one day. 

After a while, walking around the gallery, they both went out into the garden. Lance told him he needed to go the bathroom. Hunk nodded and sat down on one of the benches to wait.

Across the garden, Hunk saw Allura talking to the girl who was almost rolling him into one of the rooms and his lips curled into a smile unconsciously. She no longer hurried, but was nervous. He didn’t blame her, Allura’s presence was imposing in some way.

 

Keith walked around the room, searching with his eyes. In a distraction he had lost Shay and now, he couldn’t find her anywhere.

He leaned against the wall opposite a window overlooking the garden. Releasing a sigh of frustration, he looked up at the window. 

As if the archangel himself had heard his prayer, he saw her with another person. He went to the window to get a better a view, pretending to study the nearest painting.

And there he noticed it.

A yellow and greenish aura surrounded her and joined to another aura. He followed it with his eyes to a guy at the other end of the garden sitting on a bench. And he was watching her with a silly smile on his face. Keith also smiled because he knew perfectly that smile, that look. And an energy of the same color surrounded them. There was no doubt.

He ran his fingers over his ring, trusting that the task that awaited him would be simple.

At least until...

“Hey” he heard a voice behind him. Keith turned around and found himself facing a guy who was looking at him annoyed. He has his hands on his waist and a frown on his face. “What are doing spying on Hunk?” He crossed his arms while reproaching.

Keith opened his eyes in surprise. He was sure he was being discreet.

“Answer me! What are you doing spying on Hunk?”

Keith turned to the window and the to the annoying boy in front of him.

“I wasn’t spying,” he said. “ I was studying the painting.”

“ _ Of course _ , you were,” he said sarcastically.

“Listen, I don’t know what your problem is, but I was only doing my job. I was looking at the painting.” Keith said, trying to make him walk away.

The guy raised a brow. “Do you like him?” he asked, Keith almost choked.

“What?!”

“If you don’t like him, why are you looking at him?”

“Look-” he tried to say, but the other buried his finger on his chest. And Keith didn’t like that. At all.

“No, you listen,” the gut said, advancing. “I don’t know what you’re doing, but I don’t like you.”

Keith felt the irritation grow inside him and closed his eyes as he felt a slight tremor on his eyebrow.

“I’m not spying, I try to help him!” He said exasperated. The other boy withdres his finger, and watched him intensely. Keith realized he had talked more than he was supposed.

“What?” he asked, not understanding and not believing him completely.

Keith looked away.  _ Great _ .

“Hey,” the boy called him. “Tell me, what are you doing here? And don’t lie now that you admitted what I suspected from the beginning” he said, and stepped back. But he still maintained a suspicious look.

Keith sighed again, searching for the indicated words.

“I think your friend likes my friend,” he said, shrugging. If he pretended he knew Shay, he wouldn’t look so suspicious anymore.

Although in way, it was not a lie.

The other boy seemed to understand. His face lit up for a second and pushing Keith away, he approached the window in the most obvious way in the world. The he returned to his place.

“I can’t believe it” he exclaimed cheerfully. “You’re right!”

Keith snorted, frowning. “Of course I am,” he said, crossing his arms.

“I have to go and help him,” said the other before turning and starting to run towards the garden door.

Keith’s eyes widened. He couldn’t let him go and get between something that had not even started.

And that was his job!

“No, wait,” he said, catching him by the sleeve of his jacket. The other stopped immediately and turned to him, annoyed again. Keith looked at his hand for a moment, not knowing what to do. Should he release him?

“What” the guy asked harsh.

“You’ll ruin it,” Keith told him without thinking.

The boy growled, getting out of his grip. “Excuse me? What do you know about this things?” he hissed.

Keith rolled his eyes. “Much more than you,” he replied in the same tone.

They boy crossed their arms, looking into each other’s eyes. At least until a movement in the courtyard caught the attention of both.

Shay had left the other girl and was now walking towards Hunk. Keith held his breath. As soon as Shay got close enough to Hunk, he would throw an arrow.

“Is that Allura?” he heard the boy ask at his side.

Keith growled. He was about to invoke his bow and tell him to shut up so he could let him aim, but he reacted in time. With this guy at his side he couldn’t shoot without being discovered.

What could he do?

“C’mon Hunk,” the guy whispered, his face pressed to the glass. “Talk to her.”

Keith crossed his fingers, but his instinct told him it wouldn’t be like that. He had to shoot. Move away from him and shoot. And he didn’t have time.

“I have to do something,” the other keep saying, but this time, he ran as he had tried before. Keith didn’t stop him this time. It was the perfect opportunity. He waited for him to disappear behind the superimposed wall and invoke his bow.

He smiled and aimed. He barely had time to shoot, Shay was a few steps away from Hunk. She tangled again with her feet and staggered. 

Hunk held her, and the arrow fell on them at the perfect moment.

Shay was in Hunk’s arms and the aura that surrounded both became a more cheerful and striking tone to Keith’s eyes. 

He watched them smiling as he noticed how they looked at each other in the eyes. That kind of moments, to Keith seem eternal. His heart beat happily and he raised a fist in a gesture of victory.

He had do it!

His first mission and he had succeeded.

He returned to stick to the window not wanting to miss a detail of the interaction that would follow and would lead to a sweet romance. It was their job to make it last.

Hunk and Shay spoke for a moment, he scratched the of his neck and she cringed in embarrassment, but then, the two walked together and entered the room. Keith lost sight of them.

Determined to follow them, he collided head-on with Hunk’s friend as soon as he took a few steps without looking away from the window. All for being distracted.

At what moment had he returned?

“Did you saw that?” he asked. Keith rolled his eyes until noticing his bow. He hid his hand behind his back and his bow return to his ring form. “It was great! I hope Hunk gets a date,” the guy said as if he was talking to a friend.

“Yeah, I’m happy for Shay,” he said.

“I couldn’t enter the garden. The door was closed and didn’t yield,” he said.

“Weird,” Keith smiled. He may or may not intervened with that. Advantages of being an angel.

“I’m sorry for how I reacted a while ago,” he said, scratching the back of his neck. Something that Hunk had also done. Apparently, one of the two had adopted the gesture of the other when they were ashamed. 

“It’s fine,” Keith said dryly. He turned around, thinking he would get rid of the guy and let him do his job, but he wasn’t so lucky.

“Hey, wait,” the other called, running after him. “Wait!”

“What?” Keith asked irritably.

“My friend is with your friend. I propose to wait for the good new together, what do you say?” He smiled. Keith wanted to say no and search for the new future couple, but if he thought about it enough, he would get the details directly from Hunk himself if he waited with his insistent friend. He bit his lips, should he go?

His ring moved and Keith looked at his hand. 

Nothing.

“You have…” the boy started. Keith gave him an annoyed look. “You have a feather in your hair,” he said, pointing to Keith’s head.

Keith put his hand to his head and found a little feather between his fingers. He wasn’t used to these kind of signals, but he supposed that the universe told him to accompany him. He hoped not to be wrong.

“All right,” he said. The boy’s smile lit up.

“Over here,” he guided.

Once seated at a table at the soda fountain and each with a drink, they waited.

“My name is Lance, by the way,” Lance said, playing with his straw in the iced tea.

“Keith,” he said, not giving it much importance.

“So… you know her?” Keith questioned Lance with his gaze. “Your friend, that girl with my friend.” He tilted his head.

“Oh, Shay! Yeah, I know her.” 

“Since when?” Lance asked curiously.

Keith was tempted to say something like ‘this afternoon’, but in the end he didn’t. And he couldn’t, because Hunk was approaching almost shining. Keith had noticed.

“Hunk!” Lance snapped, rising from his chair to signal him.

Hunk spotted him and walked towards them.

“Lance, what are you doing here?”

“Do you really think I was going to go?” Lance smiled, biting the straw.

“No,” he smiled back and looked ath Keith. “Who’s your friend?”

“Keith. He’s friends with Shay.”

“Really?” Hunk eyes widened.

“How did it go with her by the way?”

“I have a date with her,” Hunk said, low and already blushing. Lance shook his fist in the aire and Keith couldn’t help but smile. “She is Allura’s assistant, for your information.”

“Seriously? That’s perfect! I knew I had seen them together.”

Keith watched them exchange information without saying anything. He didn’t know who this Allura girl was, but it seemed that Lance had some interest in her.

“Did you see her? Were you two watching us?” Hunk asked, alternating an accusing look between Keith and Lance.

“Nope,” Lance lied.

“Lance,” Hunk said, warily.

“Okay, okay!” Lance raised his hands in defeat. “But just because I saw Allura when I was on my way to you.”

Keith narrowed his eyes. Lance was lying.

Hunk sighed and the pointed after him. “Speaking of the devil.”

The three of them directed their gaze to where Hunk had pointed, in time to see Allura enter and walks towards the bar. Keith recognized her and realized it had been with whom Shay had been. He noticed Lance by inertia. His eyes looked dreamer and fixed on her with every movement.

His ring vibrated.

Looking at Lance again, he noticed him wrapped in a bluish aura, but it was not attached to Allura. Even so, her energy had a similar tonality. Unlike Hunk and Shay’s aura, Keith felt something familiar in Lance’s energy. He ignored it and once Allura disappeared and Lance paid attention again, Keith wicked smile spread on his face.

“What now?” Lance asked, surprised and warily. 

“You like her,” he said, too childish for his liking. He was not proud, but it was fun. Lance turned completely red, which only extended Keith’s smile. He put his drink aside and leaned his elbows on the table. “I think I can help you.” 


	3. Three times the fun

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith thinks he is ready to do his job, but maybe it's not the time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm finally back, and while I was healing I got a lot of time to write and edit so here we are.  
> A lot of things maybe doesn't make sense but bear with me a little longer, things are going to happen in further chapters, we are getting there.   
> Thank you so much for reading and lots of love to my lovely beta. Without her, this probably would be a disaster.  
> Enjoy!

**** Keith helped Shiro carry boxes in the bookstore. Since he had fulfilled his first task, he felt strangely more energetic; It felt like he was looking at the bookstore with different eyes.

“So, what time are you supposed to see Lance again?” Shiro asked, looking over his shoulder to Keith.

“He should be here at any moment” Keith replied, imitating Shiro as he lowered his box near the shelves at the back of the backstore.

“There’s something I don’t understand though - what are you supposed to do?” Shiro questioned as he started taking books out of the box.

“Promote an encounter. When they get close to each other, I’ll shoot them.” Keith shrugged, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

“What about their auras?” Shiro raised an eyebrow, skeptical.

“Not the same color, but both are shades of blue.”

“And you say they aren’t connected?”

“Nope, but that’s what we’re for, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, but… I still think something about this doesn’t work. It seems too easy for me. How long have they known each other?”

“They both met the same way - at the art gallery.”

Shiro’s back stiffened for a moment, and he continued to pull out books without turning to see Keith.

“And what does she look like? Do you know her?”

“Only from sight; I didn’t talk to her, I didn’t have an opportunity to do so. But she’s tall, very pretty, and has long, white hair,” Keith said absently, looking around the shelves. The rumble of books against the floor made him turn his attention to Shiro.

“She works there?” Shiro asked from the floor, picking up the books he had dropped, but he still didn’t turn his gaze to Keith.

“Uh… yes. Shay is her assistant and I think she’s the owner or something… Why?” The slight tremor that ran through Shiro’s body didn’t go unnoticed in Keith. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah! I’m just excited that your first task has been a success. Keith, are you sure about this?”

“Why wouldn’t I?” Keith raised a confused eyebrow.

“Remember that you can’t fail more than three times,” Shiro turned to see him with a stern look on his face. Keith sighed.

“I know, but I won’t fail.” He said, decided.

“They were not united, Keith,” Shiro said, and Keith caught the imploring tone in his voice. But why?

“Yes, but that’s not an impediment, it means they have a chance to be together,” he said, trying to pretend it didn’t matter. Shiro glanced at Keith but looked away again - this time to the ground - and Keith could see the concern in his eyes. 

“Shiro what’s the problem?” He asked softly, approaching him.

Shiro looked at him for a second, reflecting his concern. Then he shook his head and smiled kindly, the way he always used to smile. Although it did little for Keith.

“It’s nothing; I just care about you,” Shiro said.

Keith pressed his lips together. “Are you sure?”

“There you are!

Keith turned around when he heard Lance’s voice behind them.

“Hello, Lance. Give me a second,” he asked and turned back to Shiro. “I have to go, are you sure everything is fine?”

Shiro nodded, smiling. “Everything’s fine. Just be careful, right?” 

“All right,” Keith walked to Lance and took him to the entrance under Shiro’s watchful, caring gaze.

 

Outside the bookstore, Keith held Lance by the shoulders with a huge smile on his lips.

“Alright! Did you do what I asked?” He said.

Lance was slightly tense under his grip, and didn’t take his eyes from Keith’s. He nodded in surprise and averted his eyes a second later.

“Yes, but-”

“Excellent!” Keith cried, happily. Then, he realized how close he was to Lance and dropped his arms, releasing him at once. Clearing his throat, his face became more serious - he felt the fluttering butterflies dancing inside him. Lance was his second goal and he wasn’t going to ruin it. “Come with me.”

“Where are we going?” Lance asked, walking behind Keith.

“To the the art gallery,” said Keith, very sure of himself and his plan.

“What? We were there yesterday!”

“Yes,” Keith said, biting his lip to try and contain his smile.

“Do you have a plan or something?” Lance asked again. Keith nodded. “Don’t you think this is a little weird? I mean, I barely know you and you barely know me. For all I know, you could be taking me to… I don’t know what -  and I might end up not seeing my family or my friends again,” Lance kept talking behind him. 

Keith rolled his eyes, Lance’s distrust was irritating him. Although he wasn’t to blame.

“Just trust me. You don’t need my friendship, only my help.”

“Why do you keep saying these things?” Lance grumbled as he made a face at Keith.

“What things?”

“The kind of things that makes you sound interesting and mysterious.” He said, waving his fingers.

“Of course not.”  

“You sound like you were working on a super secret mission or something. Am I your objective? Am I gonna die?”

“Are you really going to talk all the way to the gallery?” Keith asked, already irritated.

“It’s not that far!” Lance said, and Keith could almost hear the smile forming on his lips.

The rest of the way was silent — uncomfortably silent; Very uncomfortable if Keith was being honest with himself. He was not good with words, but he really didn’t need them in this case. It was enough to explain Lance what he should do, and at the right moment he would shoot an arrow.  

Done!

It didn’t have to be so complicated. All he needed was some willingness from Allura to come out and talk to Lance for a few seconds. And if he couldn’t make it this way, he would ask for help from Shay. Nothing special; nothing big.

Everything else depended on Lance and Allura. 

Already at the art gallery, Keith took Lance as close to Allura as he could with the help of the ring, which hadn’t moved since Lance had appeared back in the bookstore or when they had entered the art gallery. He frowned, it didn’t matter too much, he just needed his bow at the precise moment and everything would be over. 

They both spied Allura moving with a group of people around the room. She explained and told stories about the paintings to the people around her, and after the laughter, more people joined. When he turned to see Lance, he found him almost drooling over the wall with his blue eyes fixed on Allura.

Keith cocked his head. He knew that look, but it didn’t feel the same emotion as when he had caught Hunk watching Shay, or when Shay was talking to Hunk.

No. 

This was an intense brightness and full of life, but Keith couldn’t understand what felt different. And he didn’t even know Lance enough to be able to read him well.

So he checked his energy. Blue, like the first time. Then he looked at Allura. She was shining in a stunning pink. 

Keith blinked.

Pink?

Why in heaven was Allura’s aura pink? The day before it had been blue!

He turned to find Lance with a worried look on his face.

“What?” He asked.

“Nothing. Are you ready?” Keith said, steeling himself too.

“Of course I’m not ready! She’s busy giving a tour! I can’t get closer now,” Lance said, waving his arms exaggeratedly.

“I didn’t say you have to do it now. You have to wait until the tour is over and before the people dissipate completely.” Keith leaned over the edge of the wall.

“Okay,” said Lance.

Keith turned to see Lance once more, examining the color of his energy. He hadn’t changed at all. He offered the same friendly, familiar light. It moved energetically around Lance, just like him. And now that he was in profile, he could get a better look at his features. He was an attractive guy, that could play in his favor.

Lance felt watched and caught Keith’s eyes on him. He grinned flirtily. 

Keith stiffened and blushed, more so from being caught than from the smile, and looked away to Allura, trying to figure out why the change in color was so sudden.

“Keith… umm… why are you doing this?” Lance’s voice reached him from far away.

“It’s my job,” Keith replied, too concentrated on his task to even realize what was he saying.

“Job?” Lance was making faces at him now.

“Yes, just keep quiet,” Keith said angrily. He needed to focus and Lance wasn’t letting him.

“Does someone pay you for doing this? Was it Hunk? No, wait — this is Pidge’s work.”

Keith felt a vein jump on his forehead.

“Lance, shut up! I’m trying to-” He stopped suddenly when he noticed that, once again, he had spoken too much in Lance’s presence. He growled in  frustration. Closing his eyes, Keith pinched the bridge of his nose.

_ Breathe, Keith, breathe. You have to fix this. _

“Okay, listen. Nobody’s paying me. It’s just… a little favor amongst strangers,” he said shrugging.

“A favor amongst strangers,” Lance placed his hand on his hips, deadpan. “I don’t think this-”

“Now!” Keith interrupted him. “It’s time, she's free. Go, go!”

Lance frowned and let go.

“I’m not sure th-” 

Keith growled again; “Shut up and trust me,” he ordered. “Just go.” He pointed towards Allura. 

Lance didn’t seem sure. However, he made his way to Allura, first with doubtful steps. But, with each step he was transforming - squaring his shoulders and gaining confidence until he reached her.

Allura smiled broadly at the sight of him and turned her whole body towards him. Good sign. Lance showed her the paper he had taken out of his backpack and watched as Allura’s now curious gaze fixed on the paper. While they were talking, Keith prepared himself to shoot.

He summoned his bow and aimed. 

The feeling that he shouldn’t shoot invaded him. He didn’t understand why. He didn’t knew why and it was exasperating. He didn’t had time to hesitate. Not now.

His hand was shaking **.**

Maybe he shouldn’t shoot, Lance and Allura were no longer synchronized. But if they shouldn’t be together, why was the bow guiding him to them? However, the ring didn’t move, not even once. Keith didn’t understand what was happening.

And despite everything his instincts told him, Keith shot the arrow.

An orange-haired man appeared through a door behind Allura. She smiled broadly as she jumped happily towards the man and hugged him with affection. Luckily, it occurred to Lance to take a step back at the last second. Keith watched with horror as the arrow disappeared - colliding with the glass that protected the painting hanging on the wall, and evaporated on impact - forming hearts composed of smoke.

Keith couldn’t believe it.

He had fired and failed. Fortunately for him, he hadn’t shot any human — at least that was fine.

He watched Allura chatting happily with the man he didn’t know who had distracted her. He seemed to be a good friend of hers, he even dared to say that the man was an old friend.

Then there was Lance, uncomfortable standing there in the middle of the now empty room, except for three of them.

_ Lance, move away from there. _ Keith thought. _ Tell her you will come back later. _

Lance seemed to hear him, because he spoke to Allura. She came over, introduced them both and then examined Lance’s homework with the help of the man.

What he had written, Keith had no idea, but it must have been very good if Allura and the man approved it.

_ Great _ , Keith grumbled internally. Now he had no alibi to return. He had to think of something else.

Allura and Lance said goodbye warmly to each other, and Lance appeared at his side while Keith lost himself in his thoughts, searching for a way to get them closer again.

“She’s great,” Lance said, dreamily, startling Keith. “Now explain me, why did you send me with her?”

“Didn’t you want to see her again?”

“Yeah, but I could have done it myself.” Lance crossed his arms over his chest.

“Sure,” said Keith, not paying any attention to Lance. He was still upset about his failure.

They both left the art gallery with a frown.

“Now what?” asked Lance. 

Keith pressed his lips. He had a lot to think about and he needed time and silence to do it. He needed help and advice from Shiro.

“Look for me at the bookstore tomorrow afternoon,” Keith said without making eye contact and started to make his way back to the bookstore.

“Hey — but, are you okay?” Lance cocked his head, like he was confused. Keith couldn’t blame him, but he didn’t have the time to explain anything. It wasn’t like he was even able to explain a single thing about him.

“I’m fine, don’t worry too much. See you,” Keith ran after that. He managed to listen Lance’s protests, but he ignored them. 

He rebuked himself. His instincts were telling him not to fire, he should have not fired! But he had. He had done it and failed miserably. Now he only had two more attempts.

He had to think of something else; he needed a new plan… 

 

That was how Keith found himself the next day - with a few friends in front of the counter unders the stairs, drumming his fingers, face resting over his elbow on the counter.

He snorted once more in frustration.

Having noticed Keith brooding, Shiro approached him.

“What’s happening? You had that face all day, you’ve scared the customers,” he said. Keith glanced at him and snarled, letting his arms and face fall against the counter.

“I can’t think of anything to do!” He growled.

“To help Lance?” Keith nodded without taking off his face of the wood.

“I failed Shiro! It was an easy shot and I failed,” Keith complained, raising his arms.

Shiro’s lips curved ina grimace similar to a sad smile.

“Are you sure it’s your job to unite them? The bow hasn’t told you anything?”

“It moved that day in the gallery, but it stayed quiet when they were together.” Keith lifted her face.

“Maybe Lance shouldn’t be with Allura. You saw that Allura’s aura changed color, she was no longer in sync with Lance.” Shiro leaned on the counter, watching Keith. He covered his face with his hand, growling in frustration.

“The ring moved for a reason, Shiro.”

“But it didn’t give you a particular task. Maybe they should cross paths, but not in a romantic way. Please leave it alone for now.” 

Keith narrowed his eyes, making a confused face. “What’s the matter with you? You never doubt about your bow, why do you doubt mine? Don’t you trust me?” Keith asked, a little annoyed. Although - he was more annoyed at himself than at Shiro.

“No! Of course I trust you. I’m just worried about you.”

“But why? I’m just doing my job-”

Two books fell heavily on the counter. They both turned, surprised at the person who had approached them. Keith scolded himself for not having noticed their presence.

She was a young girl of short stature, long hair tied in a ponytail. The chewing gum in her mouth burst to reveal her confident smile.

“Pidge.” Shiro said warmly.

“Shiro,” she answered, “How long’s it been this time?”

“Like two weeks,” he joked. “I’m glad to see you around here.”

Keith frowned. It was the second time this conversation with Shiro was interrupted and now he sure Shiro wasn’t telling him something.

“I was busy - with Matt always doing his things around, sometimes it’s hard to make him relax.”

“We missed you,” Shiro said, pulling a bowl with candies under the counter for the customers and offering her one. She accepted it immediately and gladly. She took out the gum with a piece of paper, being careful to hide her mouth properly, wrapped it tightly and tossed it in the trash can on the side of the counter.

“I couldn’t stop coming. I love being here and you give me free candies and hot chocolate,” she said, smiling. Then, she noticed Keith. “Hi! I don’t know you, my name is Katie, but you can call me Pidge,” she said to him, in a more familiar and friendly tone.

“Keith,” He said, a little dry.

She opened her eyes a lot. And the smile she sketched was broad and bright.

“Keith! “ Katie exclaim excited, making Shiro’s proud smile to return. “You’re Keith! It’s a pleasure to finally meet you. Shiro speaks infinities about you and your time in Heaven! How long have you been here? When did you arrive?” she asked, stuffing the candy into her mouth. 

Keith looked at her confused. He glanced to Shiro, questioning him with his eyes, but Shiro shrugged with an apologetic smile. He turned again to her, still not understanding.

“Less than a week,” he said, deadpan.

“You already got used to not having wings?” she asked, leaning closer to the counter. Keith took a step back instinctively.

“Not quite,” he said, still uncertain whether to trust Pidge or not. But Shiro seemed comfortable enough with her presence, in the bookstore, and apparently in general. Although Keith could not perceive her angelic energy. Perhaps she was disguised. He look at her from head to toes. “Are you a Cupid too?”

A complicity smile forming at her lips and she clicked with her tongue.

“I’m human,” she said.

Keith blinked, perplexed. Had he listened right to her? How was she human and knew about them?

It wasn’t like it was a secret per se. Humans believed in angels because a few of them had seen them, encountered in their lives through traumatic events mostly, but it happened. Still, that didn’t stop the rumor of his existence, just made it more popular. And here was Katie. Planted in front of him and talking about Heaven as if nothing.

“Human?” he asked her, getting out of his astonishment.

“And the best ally we could have,” said Shiro, like he was proud of her.

“Which reminds me,” she said, pulling a white box out of her bag and handing it to Keith. “This is for you, angels need phones. You’ll get used to it and if you need something, you can call me.”

Reaching for the bag, Keith pulled out a phone. Katie taught him how to turn on the device, send messages, and make and answer calls — the most basic things a human could need from a cell phone. 

Keith had seen humans do it for years, and therefore, he knew all of this already, but he appreciated the help anyway.

“Now I just need Lance’s number,” he looked at Shiro, brushing aside the fact that he was talking about his job to a human.

Katie’s eyes went wide in surprise.

“Lance?” she asked, leaning forward more than she already was. “My Lance? A tall, tanned skin, blue-eyed and very noisy guy?”

Keith cocked her head at that. “Yeah, do you know him?”

“We’ve been friends for a while. Hunk’s friend, right?”

“Yeah, he was my first arrow,” Keith said, excitedly. 

“I can give you his number,” she said, thoughtful, “but what’s the matter with him?”

“Keith said the ring binds him and Allura together,” Shiro said.

“Allura? The art gallery owner?” Katie glanced at Keith and then to Shiro. “But she’s-” Katie asked Shiro unconvinced, directing him a knowing look. He put a finger at his lips, telling her not to say anything.

“Do you know her too?” Keith asked her.

“Yes, my brother Matt knows almost the whole city,” she shrugged under Keith’s gaze.

Keith smiled, ignoring everything else for that moment. He was too focused to noticed the worried looks Katie and Shiro exchanged. 

For now, he had an opportunity. Later, he could sit with Shiro to understand the new information. Basically the whole ‘Katie knows thing’. Now he needed her help;

“Can you do me a favor?”

 

The art gallery was a very quiet and unusual place to find love. Keith knew that that was not entirely true. Special love stories are born in special places.

Floating near the works of art and observing people’s behavior, it had been a few minutes passed since Matt had appeared without Katie.

That girl aroused his curiosity and he hadn’t had the time to ask Shiro how he had come to know her - especially since she knew so much. 

She was fully aware how the library worked, of Shiro and now him. She had also insisted that his ring might be guiding him wrong, but Shiro wouldn’t let her continue, telling her that Keith should trust his ring, but once again, the corner of his lips had tightened. He would have to ask Shiro what was going on. Why was he so nervous suddenly? Would he be afraid that Keith might disappoint him?

With that thought in mind, he said he would not fail this time. All he had to do now was to get close to Allura, know her and be sure of his next move with that. 

Also, thanks to Katie, he had initiated communication with Lance via text messages. That was how he had informed him that he wouldn’t be able to see him.

He saw Matt crossing the threshold of the room and wait for him. There was no sign of Katie. Minutes later, Allura appeared smiling at him. They greeted like old friends and she asked him to follow her to the soda fountain.

As Katie and Matt had indicated to him once Matt arrived the bookstore to help him with the plan, he let them talk in peace before camouflaging his wings again and walking towards them trying to look relaxed and casual, but honestly, he had no idea how to pretend he was there by chance… in the same place as Matt… with Allura.

No.

It was planned; nothing about this felt natural.

Matt spotted him, waving his hand to get his attention. Keith waved back at him, and walked toward them. He shook his head to clear his mind. It had already been spontaneous when he had lied about Shay, he could do it again. 

“Keith, sit with us,” Matt demanded energetically. Like this was not the first time that he and Keith sat to talk as friends. “Let me introduce you to Allura. Allura, this is Keith, one of my sister’s friends.”

“Oh, hello! Nice to meet you,” she gave him a bright smile.

He noticed, objectively that she was a pretty, young woman and he could see why Lance had been taken aback by her. 

He stayed with them for a while that at first seemed eternal, but the company of both of them was so comfortable and friendly, he soon felt comfortable with them. At least until the man what had interrupted his work, Coran, appeared asking for Allura’s assistance with some files relating to some of the works.

“I have to go,” said Allura. “Keith, it’s been a pleasure talking to you. And Matt, come by  more often, okay?”

Keith and Matt left the gallery, both with smiling faces. Matt for having seen his friend, and Keith for having approached his goal, knowing Allura would help him find key points for Lance to use. Also, Keith could tell Matt and Allura were pretty close. They joked, and played and laugh with each other. He liked that - it was a sweet dynamic.

They walked towards the bookstore, passing by a little coffee shop. Matt pointed at it and invited Keith to drink something inside. At first, Keith wanted to decline the invitation kindly, claiming he had to go back to work, but Matt smiled as he put an arm around his shoulder saying that any problem he might have at the bookstore, Pidge and him would solve it. Keith was not sure it was a good idea, until a white butterfly fluttered around him and Matt. He raised his eyes. That was another signal that he should stay. 

He imagined Anael, smiling from his throne, telling him to have fun.

After all, he found himself sitting at one of the tables near the bar, waiting for Matt to come back with his order. 

Moments later, Matt placed a drink with whipped cream and caramel on top.

“You look like the kind of guy that likes candies,” Matt winked at him, drinking from his own glass. Keith watched at first, as if he didn’t know what to do, but Matt had taken the kind gesture and he couldn’t just refuse.

“Thanks,” he said, taking a sip with the straw. The taste was somewhat strong for Keith the first few sips, but the caramel flavoring predominated at the end. He had not tasted anything like that before and he wondered why.

“No problem. But tell me,” Matt grinned at him, “why did you wanted to meet Allura?” Keith looked away from his drink, curious and with the straw between his lips. Why was it so delicious? He didn’t want it to finish it. “Do you like her?” 

And he almost choked on it.

“No!” He said, eyes wide. Did he give Matt that impression?

But Matt giggled friendly.

“I know, I wanted to see your reaction,” said Matt.

Keith blushed for being caught of guard.

“And…” He cleared his throat and took the straw between his lips, “what are we doing here?” He asked, shyly.

“Nothing really. I wanted something sweet and cold, but not an ice cream. This is better.” Matt said and raised his glass to emphasize his point.

“And why I am here?”

“Because you were with me. “ Matt shrugged as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Keith liked Matt’s company, so open and welcoming to new people all the time. Keith wished he could be more like Matt in that regard. Maybe Matt would have no problem talking to people at the bookstore. He didn’t have a problem in talking to him and inviting him to just chill.

The coffee shop bell chimed, calling Keith’s attention. He followed the newcomer’s eyes to the front of the store. Matt noticed and turned half of his body.

“Lance!” He called cheerfully.

Keith looked at Matt, surprised again. Did they all knew each other? He couldn’t help but feel a little out of place.

Lance turned to Matt, body flinching slightly when he heard his name, but offered him a radiant smile. A smile Keith hadn’t seen in him until now.

“Hey, Matt!” He glance at Keith, “Keith? What are you two doing here?”

Keith caught the tone in his voice, something similar to when he spoke of Allura. Similar but not the same. 

“What are  _ you _ doing here? I thought you’d be busy with Hunk and Pidge,” Matt turned a little more until his arm could rest over the back of the chair. So, that was why Katie wasn’t at the gallery.

“Actually, I came for something to regain my energy. Besides, they were halfway through a physics discussion,” Lance said, blushing a little. 

Keith ring’s began to move again. He lowered his hand to keep it under the table, and looked back at them, still holding his glass. He narrowed his eyes, looking directly at Lance, accusingly. Because he had to be kidding, right?

He focused on his energy, blue and familiar. Lance’s had not change at all. 

Matt’s was a beautiful aquamarine color, Keith liked the tonality. That color was not very common, even in Heaven. They both were linked together in each other, touching and separating, but never fusing, like he had seen with Hunk and Shay. But for Keith, that was enough.

While he was focusing in his work, he noticed Lance had taken a seat with them, so he could chat with Matt. 

Should he apologize to step aside and once hidden, shoot them?

No, not yet. He had to be sure. He had only two more shots.

It was obvious to him that Lance had a crush on Matt, but he also had a crush on Allura and he failed. So, better to be really sure.

And so, he got up from his chair.

“I’ll be back,” he said quickly, walked away and hid behind the wall of the corridor that led to the bathroom. He took out his phone and wrote:

**Keith**

_ >You like him. _

Lance’s  phone chimed and as he looked down at the screen, his reaction was instantaneous. He frowned and seemed offended while typing.

 

**Lance**

_ >>What the… Of course not!  _

 

**Keith**

_ >Of course you do! You have a crush on him. _

 

**Lance**

_ >>Why are you interested? _

 

**Keith**

_ >No reason in particular, I just need to know. _

 

He saw Lance, twisting his lips. Like he was weighing in telling him.

**Lance**

_ >>Okay, all right, maybe a little. But nothing has ever happened, and it never will. _

Keith smiled, accepting the challenge. He thought so hmm?

Looking around, he made sure there was no one who could see him and invoked his bow.

_ All right Lance. You owe me this one.  _ He thought, aiming to Matt.

That feeling of being wrong settled once again in his stomach with more strength than the last time. He hesitated, lowering his bow to look at both of them, sitting and chatting happily. 

Lance was supposed to be destined for Allura, right? And if so, why was Lance’s energy connected with Matt’s? Why was he doubting about himself?

If he compared the moment, Allura’s energy had not even touched Lance’s once, but Matt’s did. He poked his head around to check them again. Matt’s energy was linked and matched with Lance’s, they seemed closer together. Maybe Shiro was right and Allura just had to cross his path to really guide him to Matt.

So, why was the feeling of doing things wrong that overwhelming?

He shook his head. No, he couldn’t be wrong if the bow had chosen them.

He aimed again, but his hand was shaking.

What if he failed again? There would be only  _ one _ shot left. 

No.

He could not fail, it was his job. He was ready to do it.

He took a deep breathe, closing his eyes, convincing himself he was right. It was the right thing to do.

When he opened his eyes, he ignored all doubt and fired.

As if the universe was conspiring against him, he watched in horror as Matt had moved towards Lance making his phone to fall to ground… and crouching down to pick it up!

The arrow passed over his head.

Keith put his hand over his face in frustration. What was happening?

He hadn't even noticed where the arrow had gone.

He remained static for a few seconds, while Lance and Matt laughed almost as if mocking his useless attempts.

His heart sped up and he started to breath fast. 

He failed again.

He only had one more shot

Keith ran, hurried with the purpose of talking to Shiro. Matt called after him, confused. 

His felt his ring getting warmer and when he look at it, the tip of the arrow was red, like a ruby. He apologized twisting the ring in his finger to hide it and saying that Shiro needed him in the bookstore, he just threw Lance an annoyed look and said goodbye before leaving.

He entered the bookstore almost whipping his feet, and in a very bad mood.

What was happening with him?

The other angels who worked at the bookstore with him stepped aside as he made his way to the stairs, watching him curiously. Or that was the plan, until Shiro appeared, kneeling behind the counter. Why was he always at the ground?

“Keith?” he asked, worried. “What happened?” Shiro released whatever was in his hands. Keith couldn’t care less at that moment.

“I failed… again,” he growled, crossing his arms and in a stern tone. 

His annoyance must have been visible enough because Shiro asked someone else to take care of him and guided Keith stairs up to the rooms and find a more private place to talk.

They entered Shiro’s rooms and Shiro closed the door behind him while Keith sat on the bed and covered his face with his hands, letting out a long growl of frustration.

“All right. What happened?” Shiro next sat next to Keith.

“I failed,” Keith said, his voice muffled by his hands.

“I heard you, but I need you to tell me what happened to help you. I thought you weren't going to see Lance today,” Shiro said.

Keith discovered his face, letting them fall to his sides.

“No, I just wanted to meet Allura to help him better, but she had to leave. Then Matt and I went to a coffee shop and Lance was there. And now it turns out that Lance has a crush on Matt!”

“So you didn’t shoot Allura, but Matt,” Shiro realized. “And Matt just… crouched down!” Keith exclaimed.

Shiro couldn’t help a half smile. “Keith, Lance has been crushing on Matt for months, but he is not serious about it.”

“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” Keith reproached. Shiro thought about his words.

“There are rules, Keith. You know I can’t intervene until you receive the crown of roses from the archangel,”

“I know,” Keith sighed.

“You have one shot left, and if you fail that shot, you’ll have to do it, ‘by hand’,“ Shiro said.

Keith covered his face again with his hands.

“I know. But I just don’t understand what’s happening,” he sat up. “First, Allura and her change of color, and now Matt. Why does the ring tell me one thing about them and the remain silent? It’s as if it wanted to get me confused. What should I do, Shiro?” Keith pleaded.

Shiro sighed. Keith watched him, knowing that Shiro was trying to choose his word carefully, and still did not understand why. There was never the need to be so cautious with him.

“Honestly? I think you should focus on the problem. You need to know what it is that Lance needs before launching to shoot.”

“But that would be contradicting the bow,” Keith ran his hands through his hair. He was getting desperate.

“No, I told you your bow knows what it is doing,” Shiro stroked his back, trying to calm Keith down.

“I… don’t understand. If it knows what it’s doing, why did I fail twice?”

Shiro bit his lip. “I can’t help you with this, Keith. You have to learn to trust it and listen to it. Listen to yourself.” He closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, he looked away from Keith. “And also to Lance. Have you stopped to talk to him?” Shiro spoke slowly, as if by pronouncing those words he was sentencing someone to die.

Keith raised his head again, and frowned. He felt embarrassed to realize that he had not considered Lance’s wished in the whole matter at all. And suddenly, the weight of his selfishness hit him. He was forcing Lance to succumb to the weight and command of his bow. He had to remind himself that love didn’t work like that. It was his duty to listen, to observe and to help. Never force. And angel never forces things and now Keith felt stupid for not having noticed before.

He let himself fall back once more, facepalming.

Shiro smiled and raised and eyebrow.

“Do you understand your mistake now?” He asked.

“Yes,” Keith moaned, covering his eyes with his arm again. “I have to get close to Lance without breaking the rules.”

“Don’t feel bad, you’re still learning. Reading and watching aren’t always enough to understand everything.” Shiro said, comprehensively. He clapped Keith on the knee and stood up.

“Where are you going?” Keith he felt the change of the weight on the bed.

“There’s work to do at the bookstore,” He said from the doorway. “Take a few minutes, clear your mind and come back down. I can’t let you be lazing around.”

Keith frowned again.

“I wasn’t going to do it.”

Shiro laughed. “I know, I need you down soon, okay?”

“Okay.”

Shiro closed the door and Keith spread his arms over the bed, sighing.

He brought his ring hand to his face and twisted his lips at it.

What if he was wrong and Keith had nothing to do with Lance? He had started to feeling that way.

The charm on his neck rose in red light, at the same time the ring was moving. From the lion surge a figure made of red smoke, departing  from his corporeal form. The charm fell back on Keith’s chest as he watched in astonishment as the red lion ran across the room. He landed in from of him, separating itself in two more figures. One of them took the form of Lance, and the other was Keith. He watched as the figure like him prepared his bow and fired at Lance. When the arrow hit him, both figures vanished.

Okay, so he was not wrong. And now he wondered why something similar hadn't happened before. He didn’t even know the pendant could do that.

He got up from the bed to go and wash his face, so he could go back down. He had to think of a plan to help Lance, but first, he had to talk to him.

 


	4. Two for one arrow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is totally unbeta. My friend is so busy she doesn't have the time. However, my vacations are coming to an end, so that's why.  
> I'm going to update this as soon as she review the chapter.  
> I know there are things that are not very clear, but bear with me a little longer.  
> EDIT. It's fixed! Thank my wonderful beta, she is awsome and always had my back. I love her.

_Go out for a walk._ Shiro had said.

Keith had not  been able to concentrate all morning on his work at the bookstore. In the short time he had been there, he hadn’t managed to attract anyone for loving advice.   
Between that and the fact that he didn’t know what to do with Lance — he wasn’t sure what bothered him the most. 

And he didn’t know how to get close to Lance either. Should he invite him to drink something like Matt had done? Should he call him and ask him to come to the bookstore again? No. Human social interaction was definitely not his thing; but he was an angel, so he would have to do something. He had no choice.

He pulled out his phone and looked at the locked screen.

“Just call him.”

Keith looked up from the screen to meet Katie’s eyes. She watched him amused with her arms crossed from the other side of the counter. Her long hair was loose and with a headband that matched her dress.

Keith snorted, annoyed.

“Why?”

“Because you need to talk to him, right? Just call him.” She shrugged.

As if it were so simple.

“No, I mean, why are you here?” he said, sounding more rude than he would have liked.

“It's a bookstore, I come for new books from time to time, for me and for Matt. I'm here all the time because your teammates enjoy my company.” She smiled, proud of herself.

Keith rolled his eyes.

"It's not that I don’t like you," he said. “It’s just, I still haven’t gotten used to… you, knowing everything.”

“Not everything. Other angels make the same face as you when they realize that too. It is my favorite part.”

Keith sighed. At any other time it would also have seemed comical to him, but just now he had other concerns in mind. Lance, specifically.  
“Just call him. It won’t be weird, I promise," she repeated. Keith narrowed his eyes. 

“How do you know so much? “ Keith asked.

“Because I've known him for years.”

“No, about us,” he said, crossing his arms. Why was so hard for her to understand him?

“Oh that! Yes, umm, I'm not sure how much you've been told," she scratched the back of her neck and looked away.

“What?” Keith asked, frowning. "All I know about you is that you're not interested in physical intimacy." Keith cocked her head, distrusting her.

"What a good eye you have," she smiled.

“Pidge!” Someone shouted over the stairs. She looked up and smiled broadly, waving.

“Listen. I know it must look strange and suspicious, possibly suffocating, but I can promise you that I don’t have bad intentions. If I had them, I couldn’t even enter here anymore. I'll tell you the story another day, okay? Trust me, we could be good friends," she said honestly, with a look so sweet, Keith could see she was speaking honestly.

"All right," he sighed wearily.

Pidge nodded, smiling delightedly, and climbed the stairs to where she had been called.

"And if you need help with Lance, just tell me," she told him, halfway up the stairs. The chain of her purse resonating as she moved.

Keith pursed his lips.

He didn’t have a plan of action yet. And he didn’t want to get close to him and looking as uncomfortable as Keith already felt he was. Lance was right, the whole thing was happening too fast. But he didn’t want help, did he?

How do you trust a stranger who approaches you in an art gallery and says that can help you with love? Some people would say it is a safe scam. Or possibly a madman who wanted to sell him something, or anything but the truth. It sounded crazy, plain and simple madness.

The whole thing was getting more complicated than it should be.

He turned the ring on his finger by pure reflection. He was nervous. He only had one arrow left to shoot.

A boy ran past his counter followed by a young man, probably his older brother. The young man reached for the boy by the arm and Keith saw them walking around the store for a few seconds before turning his gaze to the front and continue plotting a good plan to approach Lance. He hoped they wouldn’t cause any problem, he didn’t want to deal with them.

A while later, the spine of a book appeared on the opposite side of the counter and kept going up until the book was over the table. Then a tiny hand felt on the wood until he found the book again. Keith leaned over curious, and discovered the same boy from a while ago looking up. When the boy saw Keith, he smiled at him and Keith couldn’t help but smile back.

“Hello!” The child greeted him.

“Hi, what's your name?” he asked, leaning his arms on the counter.

“Michael.”

“I'm Keith, would you like a candy?” He offered him the basket that Shiro had offered Katie when he met her.

Michael's eyes lit up and he took one with his little hands.

"I'm going to buy a book," said the boy, with the sweet in his mouth.

“I see, what’s your book about?”

“Pirates!” He exclaimed.

“Do you like pirates?” The boy nodded. Keith glanced at the book on his counter. "This is a good choice, do you know why?" the boy shook his head. “It has a pirate ship that expands when you open it.”

The boy seemed more excited by this and turned to his companion.

“I told you it was a good book!” The older boy came over and ruffled his hair, then picked him up.

“You are not causing trouble, right?” he asked. The boy pouted and Keith smiled.

"Of course not," Keith told him.

"I told you that everyone with wings are kind," Michael said, wrapping his arms around his brother's neck when he raised him up. Keith's smile froze on his face. Would it be possible for the child to see through his disguise? It was known that children were able to see the world as it really was, because they had not been corrupted by human’s evilness yet. However, the other rolled his eyes and smiled.

“Sorry, he believes that because a person who works here and was disguised as an angel for a costume party helped to return him to us, they are all the same.”

“Don't worry, I bet he was a very tall person, right?” he asked the boy.

“Yes! And bright too! His hair was white at the front,” said the boy, raising his arms to cover as much space as he could.

Yeah, that sounded like Shiro.

"The lights do that, Michael," his brother retorted. The boy crossed his arms, pouting again.

"At least I'm not crying with a cell phone over my face," the boy grumbled.

"I told you to stop telling people that," the other whispered, averting his eyes. Thing that went unnoticed by Keith.

“It’s true!” Michael replied and turned to Keith. “He calls his girlfriend every night, but she doesn’t answer him and Josh suffers.”

“Really?” Keith asked, offering him another candy. Michael took it.

“Yes. It makes Josh cry, I don’t like her," he unwrapped his candy.

“Michael! " Josh scolded. “Excuse me, he spends his time giving information to every person he comes across all the time, things that people don’t care about." He fixed his big brother's eyes on the boy.

“It’s fine. In fact ... would you mind some advice?” Keith asked, too uncomfortable but wishing at last to be able to help as Shiro does.

“No thanks. Like I said, my brother talks too much.”

Disappointed, Keith finished the transaction for the book. He offered Michael one last treat and Josh also took one. At least he hoped that the magic of the sweets would help his case a bit.

Then, he noticed it was the wrong little basket. He groaned.

The two left the store under Keith's tense gaze. Frustrated, he leaned back on the table.

A young woman with blond hair came in, carrying a small suitcase. His smile was resplendent and he greeted every angel in his path until he came to Keith's counter. She watched him cocking her head and then he recognized her.

"Romelle!" he greeted her.

"Hi, Keith!." She smoothed her hair behind her ear, her smile widening. “I didn’t expected to see you here so soon, how long ago did you arrive?”

Keith, who had lost track of the days, simply shrugged.

"Not too long ago," He pulled the candies under his counter, checking it was the one he was supposed to have offered Josh and offered it to her. Romelle stretched out her hand distractedly and then smiled.

“Oh no. I'm not going to fall for that, I know what those things do," he chuckled. “But I would accept an ice cream, please tell me Haniel still works in the kitchen." She craned her neck toward the kitchen to try to see the angel inside.

"He's still there." Keith placed the sweets in view of the counter. “And Shiro is upstairs," he pointed with his thumb up. Romelle's expression softened.

“How is he doing?” she asked softly. Keith frowned.

“He’s fine? Uh ... organizing books? He works very hard for the store.”

“Well, I understand, after...” Romelle scratched her head and stopped her words when her eyes were fixed on his again. “Wait, you haven’t been given the crown of roses, have you?” Keith shook his head and Romelle's gaze was filled with surprise, then she twisted her lips and smiled sadly. “I'm sorry, Keith. It’s part of the rules.”

“What are you talking about?”

She ruffled his hair while laughing.

“I'm sure you'll understand soon, how was your first mission?”

Keith pulled away from her, straightening his hair.

“I did it after I arrived. A couple at the gallery art. And there I met my next problem," he growled. She snorted amused and looked at him full of compassion. Why did everyone do that? He was already starting to being desperate about that. Like there was something they wasn’t telling him. He hoped to finish with Lance as soon as possible. Since Anael wouldn’t call him to fit the stupid crown to his head while he had an arrow with the name of Lance written in it.

“Need help?” Romelle asked him.

“I don’t know, it's very likely… maybe?”

“I have to go up to leave my things, but, I’ll see you later, yes? And I'll help you as much as I can." She took her suitcase again and climbed the stairs near the kitchen.  
It wasn’t long before Katie came down the stairs next to him. 

“Well?” she asked.

“Well, what?” he growled.

“Will you call Lance?”

“No.”

“You know? I have been told cupids were stubborn, and knowing Shiro I can’t deny it, but you reach different levels.”

“What are you saying?” Keith narrowed his eyes.

“Well, it's not that hard to send a message saying you want to hang out with a friend.”

"Lance and I aren’t friends," Keith deadpanned.

“But wouldn’t you like to be? I mean, I think you both have a lot in common. And you have hung out twice together, alone.”

“What? It wasn’t like that! I just have to get involved with him because it's my job. I wasn’t supposed to meddle in his life, I could ruin something. It's the rules, Katie.”

"Pidge." She crossed her arms. “And I know the rules. Some of them are bullshit.”

“What is your point?” Keith said, annoyed and offended.

“To fulfill the requirements with your job, you need to know what the person _needs_ in love, and how will you know if you don’t know him?” 

“No! I mean yes! But ... " He ran his hands through his hair and growled. This girl was getting on his nerves. “I should get closer to help him, but I shouldn’t get too involved, you understand?”

“No. And I bet you don’t either. I know it's your first time on Earth, and that the first mission is the most difficult, but you yourself are going crazy turning over an issue that can be simply solved.”

“So now you can do my job better, huh?”

“No, but I know more about humans than you.”

“What do you suggest?”

"Hang out with us tonight," she smiled.

“What?!” Keith exclaimed.

“Yes, tonight. I’ll go out with Hunk and Lance to a club, Matt and Shiro will also be there, and we want you to go with us, what’s the problem?”

“To begin with? Shiro didn’t mention anything to me.”

She raised her eyebrow. “So? Maybe I asked him to let me invite you, I want us to be friends Keith.”

“I don’t know how this works.”

“Precisely, it will help you.”

Pidge smiled in such a way that Keith understood that he had no way out of this.

The club lights hurt his eyes and the music was louder than Keith would have liked. The whole place smelled of smoke and sweat, and it felt strange to be in such a place after living all your life in heaven, where festivals didn’t blow your ears and always smelled of sweets.

“You good?” Shiro asked.

"Yes, it's just... a little overwhelming," he said, looking around.

“I'm sure it won’t be your last time in a place like this,” Shiro pushed him, making his way to one of the tables, where they were already waiting.

And it was as if lightning had struck Keith, because everyone looked different under the lights of the club.

His eyesight fell on each and everyone, shining splendidly from the Holt siblings who sat together, to Hunk and Lance. Shiro sat next to Matt, leaving Keith no choice but to sit next to Lance on the other side. He tried not to look so hard at the clothes Lance was wearing. Suddenly, the clothes that Shiro had made him wear made sense knowing that the others wore a similar style.

Keith had thought that they wouldn’t treat him like a part of the group, that they would treat him like a stranger, but it turned out, that wasn’t the case. They integrated him into the conversation quickly, feeling insecure and somewhat uncomfortable because he didn’t always know what to say. Laughter wasn’t lacking at any time. Not even when

Shay appeared and she and Hunk went out on the dance floor, shy at first. Then, Shiro and Matt left for something at the bar, Keith sensed that they knew each other pretty well, judging from the fact of how he got along with Katie.

That left him with Katie and Lance on the table; that was the case until Katie was invited to dance and walked off to the dance floor. Keith watched as Matt settled into the bar to get a good view of his younger sister. Even Hunk and Shay were not far from her, and Lance glanced from time to time just to make sure his friend was fine all the time.

Keith didn’t know what to say or what to do, so he stared at the contents inside his glass. There was a lot on his mind and so much noise didn’t let him clarify his ideas.

“Why don’t you go out to dance?” Lance asked suddenly. Keith looked at him.

“Mmm, I don’t think that’s my place. Why don’t you go out?”

Lance raised the glass to his lips, while his gaze changed. Keith recognized that look, though on Lance's face he looked strange for some reason. He saw someone through the dance floor.

"Maybe I will," he said, drinking.

“Do it then. Invite someone," he encouraged, feeling his ring jump on his finger like it was expecting action tonight.

“I don’t know.”

“Why not?”

Lance sighed. “Just look at Hunk and Shay. They have fun together and it's not just something for a little while," he said suddenly sad. Keith looked at him surprised.

Lance really hoped to fall in love despite his flirtatious nature.

It took him completely by surprise to hear such a confession in a club, when they barely knew each other, but he supposed that was how it worked.

“So you're looking for something more serious?”

“In the end, it's what everyone is looking for. I think.”

 _Not me_ , Keith thought. _I look for love for others._

“What's stopping you?” 

Lance let out a soft laugh. “As hard as I tried, it seems I will never find someone in sync with me, has it happened to you?”

"Yes," he said, remembering the torture Lance had put him through the past few days. He had failed twice because of his indecisions, but he wouldn’t do it a third time. He just had to be sure.

By inertia, he noticed the blue energy that enveloped Lance, playful, familiar and warm. Moving and forming spirals around him. Under the lights of the club it glowed with a tonality that Keith had seen before, but he couldn’t quite remember where he had seen it. It also reminded him of the sea, the foamy waves of the beaches in heaven with crystal clear water, always moving. It made him feel at home.

At home!?

What was he thinking?

He shook his head, pushing away all odd thoughts, reminding himself not to get too involved.

 _No._ He told himself.

It was imperative to end with this.

"Anyway, a place like this isn’t the ideal place to find love." Lance drank again from his glass, until he emptied it.

"In my experience, it can happen anywhere," Keith said, looking around. “Isn’t there anyone that interests you here?”

Lance frowned.

“Why do you keep doing that?”

“What?”

“You act as if you were some kind of love guru or something like that.”

"I’m not," Keith said, letting out a nervous laugh.

Lance was about to say something, if it hadn’t been for Hunk's palms hitting the table suddenly and leaning toward Lance.

“Do you remember that blonde girl you like so much? The one in the record store? She is here!” Lance widened his eyes.

“Nyma?” Hunk nodded energetically. Keith feared that the bandana that Hunk was wearing would fly off at any moment. “Where is she?”

"Over there, on the dance floor," Hunk pointed out. Lance disappeared like lightning and Hunk took his seat instead. "Don’t you feel like dancing?"

Keith alternated between the dance floor and Hunk.

"I don’t think so," he said, seeing so many bodies colliding with each other. “Where is Shay?”

"She went to bring some drinks." Hunk smiled. "She's amazing," he said softly while his cheeks were dyed a faint pink.

“Oh yeah?” Keith leaned forward on the table with an elbow on the wood. That was the kind of detail Keith wanted to hear.

“She's so sweet and cheerful. Everything surprises her and she appreciates the little things, how could someone not fall in love with her?” he had a bright and warm smile.

“So you're in love?” Keith asked, a triumphant smile on his lips. Hunk laughed.

"I don’t know, it's possible." He sighed and directed his gaze to the dance floor. "I wish Lance got something with Nyma.”

In his mind, Keith jumped with his fists for Hunk. And also, this was the opportunity he needed to meet Lance without getting too involved in his life.

“Why do you say that?”

“Well, you've seen him. I think his goal in life is to find love." Hunk shrugged, crossing his arms and turned his gaze to the dance floor. Keith frowned at such a statement.

That wasn’t right. It was important if he wanted to, but human life was more than a successful love relationship.

“Really?” he asked, confused.

“Oh no! Not literally, but it's just a saying," Hunk smiled.

Well, it was a relief.

The ring moved and Keith turned to where Hunk was looking. Lance danced with a blonde girl with long hair. He was tied in two high ponytails and a smile on her face. She was pretty and Lance looked happy at her side.

"And he’d like to have a serious thing with her, you say?” he leaned toward Hunk without looking away, as if sharing a secret with him.  
Hunk laughed again quietly. 

“I could say yes. He has been behind her for a long time. It's like a stretch and loosen up with that girl, but it's a matter of Lance deciding it's worth it.”

Shay appeared at that moment with two glasses in each hand. She offered one to Hunk. Keith was relieved to have talked to her the day she had sat down to talk to Allura and Matt in the gallery, and gladly, she agreed to play along with him as long as she could keep seeing Hunk. Keith told her that his intention wasn’t to take her away from him at all.

She smiled at him, but took Hunk away, leaving Keith alone at the table.

Had it been any other time, it would have felt weird to be sitting in a table for at least 8 people all by himself, but right now, he knew what he had to do.

He could work with what little he knew. It really wasn’t his job to get involved with Lance's life, but to help him move forward in the sentimental field. Hunk told him that there could be something else between Lance and Nyma. If he could give them a push, his work with them would be over.

He found Lance back on the dancefloor again. His energy was linked with Nyma’s, in a greenish hue, in the same way he had with Matt. Their looks, and body language indicated that it wasn’t such a bad idea that they were together.

He made the decision.

But there were a lot of people around him, too many. And that made it difficult for him to summon his bow and shoot. He clutched his ring nervously. How could he solve this?

Looking around for a high spot, he found Shiro's worried gaze sitting next to Matt at the bar counter. He raised his hand to greet him and continued his searching.

He located the stairs, where there were almost no people, but it wasn’t a good place. Someone could turn at the worst moment and he is supposed be discreet. He could stalk from the hallway that led to the bathroom like he did in the cafeteria, but it was too crowded. The only option was to stay where he was and aim with the bow under the table.

One last look around ...

And Shiro appeared next to him.

“What are you doing?” he asked, whispering.

“What do you think I’m doing? The ring moved and Lance is with someone who interests him," Keith replied in the same tone.

“Do you plan to shoot here?”

“Will you tell me you've never done it before?”

“No, but ... It's ridiculous! It's the last arrow you can use on him." Shiro moved closer to him. If he hadn’t known him for so long, Keith could have sworn it looked like a plea.

“I won’t miss. The bow wants them together, and their energies move one after the other. If Matt is not who he should be with, it's with her," he said.

Keith felt the wave of doubt travel through his body again after he finishes his sentence. Shiro was right, it was the last arrow he had for Lance. But even the charm at his neck had intervened, manifesting itself in those figures of smoke. Everything indicated that his job was to make Lance fall in love, to help him find the love he longed for.

"I won’t miss," he repeated to convince himself. Why did he still doubt himself and his bow?

Lance and Nyma were well away from them, and although with so many people it could be dangerous to fail, he had already made the decision. He will give Lance the opportunity he needs with Nyma. Shiro blinked, while Keith invoked his bow.

“Nyma?” Shiro, turned towards the dance floor.

Keith positioned his bow under the table pointing toward her.

“No wait!” Shiro warned.

But it was too late. The arrow was already halfway in the direction of Nyma.

Keith felt his heart beat with all his strength against his chest. It was the last shot and he felt more nervous than on previous occasions.

The feeling of being wrong hit him hard once more. Time seemed to move slower and it seemed to him that the arrow never came near to her. He held his breath, heard Shiro move beside him.

The arrow crossed the space of the dance floor with accurate precision. It seemed like it was going to hit the target ... At least until Lance took her hand and they both spinned around. The arrow passed between them and bounced against the glass of one of the people behind them.

Keith paled. He didn’t move feeling that his heart was going to come out of his chest. Everything was spinning around him.

"Keith," Shiro's voice seemed to come from far away. His hands were sweating.

Shiro called again and looked for his eyes with his. Keith could see the fear in Shiro's eyes, he didn’t understand why he looked so terrified in spite of what Keith felt.

“I failed?” he said, almost inaudible. He felt a lump forming in his throat.

Shiro hugged him tightly, Keith let himself be carried by his friend's arms with his eyes lost on the dance floor. In Lance and how funny and happy he looked.

He had failed. He had made a mistake again.

 _Why? Why? Why?!_ _  
_

A waiter passed by the table. He carried a tray at the height of his face, but Keith could see how he dropped a note on the table. He parted from Shiro and they both watched in fear towards the folded paper box and tied it with a golden cord. He know what the waiter was. He knew that person wasn’t even human and he knew what the note was for.

"Keith," Shiro said cautiously.

Slowly, Keith raised his arm and took it, preparing himself for what was coming. Because he knew what that note meant, what will followed after. And it was his most feared thing.

What every angel of love feared.

Shiro put his hand on his shoulder and squeezed gently, urging him to open the note.

A white feather with light golden accents fell from the paper once unfolded.

With horror, Keith read the note written in impeccable italics.  
  
_Little Cupid_ _  
_ _You had failed_

_and now his heart_

_you have condemned._

Keith covered his face with his hands and dragged them through his hair. Shiro didn’t move from his side as he watched Lance dance with Nyma again.

He had been wrong and now he would have to witness how Lance's heart would break.

"Keith." Shiro's tone was more insistent this time. Keith looked at him immediately, but he wasn’t completely present at the time. Shiro looked him directly in the eyes, worried. “The arrow bounced.”

Keith opened his eyes, returning to reality at once. He looked around the bar, but couldn’t see anything. He had to find the arrow as soon as possible and stop it before it caused more conflict. He ran his hands through his hair once more, feeling like he was drowning and the suffocating atmosphere of the place didn’t help him at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I always had liked Keith + children, so there was cute scene.


	5. The Taste of a Broken Heart

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys!!   
> So here's the last update of the year. This month is like madness and the next one is gonna be worse. So updates are gonna be a bit slow.   
> Diving into the story, I'm personally proud of this one and it's a little longer, but I'm trying to keep the chapter length for future chapters.  
> Aaaand of course, I want to thank my wonderful friend and [beta](https://quiiiznak.tumblr.com/) for make the time to help me out. Without her, this would be a mess, so praise her in love.  
> Enjoy!!

From the table, Keith saw when Matt approached Lance and Nyma.   


The huge and silly smile on her face didn’t go unnoticed by the angel, who feared the worst. Matt exchanged words with Lance, he smiled and nodded, throwing them one last set of finger guns that made them both laugh. 

Lance advanced to the table and sat with them.   


“What happened?” Keith asked immediately, trying to make the concern he felt not so obvious. He still didn’t see the arrow. He didn’t know if it had already fallen into someone and yet his attention was only for Lance. 

Priorities.   


Lance waved his hand in front of his face.   


"It's nothing, Matt asked to dance with her," he told them smiling. But Keith could see through his mask.   


“And you’re okay with that?” He leaned toward him. The hand on his shoulder tightened a little more. He turned to Shiro and he shook his head warningly.   


“Of course, why wouldn’t it be fine? Matt and I have been friends for a long time. And that guy knows everyone in this city!” he exclaimed. He sighed and his eyes locked on 

Shiro. “Do you wanna dance?”   


Shiro smiled warmly and accepted. He rose from the table to follow Lance, but not before throwing a look of compassion at Keith.   


He noticed Matt and Nyma. Both auras danced with each other, forming one from time to time and merging to form a single color.   


“Like the color of the leaves.”

Romelle appeared behind him, wrapped in the atmosphere of the club. The cut of her blouse exposed her tattoo on her shoulder like he had seen it when she arrived.   


“What are you doing here?” Panic traveled through his voice. She must have noticed because she smiled sadly.   


“My job.”   


Keith’s heart fell to his feet. He tried to calm himself by repeating to himself that there were many people in that place.   


Then he saw Romelle's ring change to the crossbow in his hand. It was as small as his, the only difference was that hers was supported by a silver bracelet. He turned around making sure no one saw them.   


“Shouldn’t you be more discreet?”   


"Over time you'll see that many people don’t pay attention," she said, looking straight ahead. Her goal was clear.   


“Wait!” Keith said when she raised her hand. “My arrow bounced.”   


Romelle opened her eyes wide and lowered her hand.

“What?”   


"It bounced, and I can’t find it." He looked around the place again.   


“Are telling me there’s a cupid arrow flying around somewhere in here? How long ago was that?” Romelle's voice changed to something more urgent.   


“Uuh, I don’t know? Minutes?” Keith tried with all his strength not to look desperate. He struggled with everything he had to avoid running his hands through his hair in clear sign of frustration, he didn’t want the others or Lance himself saw him, they would worry and that would complicate the situation further.   


“You don’t know?!” Pressed Romelle.   


"It was a few minutes ago, I fired and failed, a note appeared and Lance invited Shiro to dance, then you appeared," he gave her a pleading look, fearing the consequences of his impulsiveness. “I'll deal with the consequences of your arrow, but help me find mine." He moved closer to her, hoping Romelle would take pity on his pathetic mistake.

She sighed, looked up at the dance floor where Matt and Nyma were still moving in sync, then looked back at Keith.   


"All right," her decided blue eyes reminded him of someone else's. He decided that it wasn’t the moment to think about it and he shoved it away from his mind “Where did you shoot?”   


"To Matt," he said heavily. Romelle frowned, confused.   


“Why?”   


Every word felt like admitting a defeat. “Lance was with him.”  

Romelle shook her head, but her eyes looked at him sympathetically.   


“I'm sorry,” she said again. Keith didn’t know if he was referring to the mistake he had committed for being so impulsive and foolish or for the fact that her job was to make Nyma and Matt a couple. “Did you notice where it go?”   


Keith shook his head no.   


_ I was too busy moping about how I failed to notice. _ He thought bitterly.   


“Don't worry, the most important thing now is to find it, has it already fallen into someone?”   


“How am I going to know that?” All the desperation he was trying to contain was seeping into his voice. Romelle turned to see him scared. “You don’t know when the arrows have fallen?” His face fell off in such a way that the lights of the place gave him a dismal aspect.   


“Uhh” ...  He realized that wasn’t the most eloquent answer.

Was he supposed to feel something when the arrows hit the mark? It was something visual. When he fired, he kept his eyes fixed on his target.   


"Keith, listen to me." Romelle came over and took him by the shoulders. "How much do you know about how the bow works?"   


“Is it really the best time for this? There is an arrow flying wild and a broken heart in my hands," he said in exasperation, ignoring the pang of guilt and uncertainty that Romelle had planted in him. Romelle's eyes shone with concern.   


“Okay,” she took the hand in which she wore the ring and lifted it to stay at the level of her eyes. “The tip of the arrow turns red when the cupid’s arrow land on the wrong person and warms up slightly,” she pointed to the part of the ring as if talking to a small child. Keith didn’t have time to feel offended when he realized an old detail he had kept mentally in the box of "things to ask Shiro." He felt his face turn pale and his stomach fell heavily to his feet.   


“What?” he asked, his voice almost inaudible.

“It's like an alarm system in case these things happen. If we intercede in flight, the situation is more easily controlled.”  She kept searching the place with her eyes.   


_ What?! _   


The alarm signals in his mind were abruptly interrupted when a hand turned him off surprisingly.   


“Didn’t you hear me calling you?” Lance was smiling in front of him with Shiro behind him.   


“I, uh, what?” Keith tried with all his strength to focus on Lance, his responsibility, but right now everything was happening too fast. Many things happened at once and his mind ran at full speed and at the same time seemed to be completely empty. He felt a mental fog hovering over his thoughts with Lance in front of him. Smiling as if nothing happened. As if Matt and Nyma dancing together in that way didn’t affect him, because now he knew that Lance knew that something was happening between Matt and Nyma and the only one too blind to see it was the same cupid in charge-   


"Keith," Lance called again. Keith blinked. The fingers on his shoulder tightened slightly harder. His gaze went from the hand on her shoulder to the person's eyes. His stomach felt empty again and his heart skipped a beat. Worry wasn’t something Lance's face should wear. “Are you okay?”   


“Yes, I ... uh”

"He doesn’t hold his alcohol very well." Romelle leaned over him, putting an arm around his shoulders.   


Lance smiled amused.   


“But, are you okay? Are you feeling fine?”   


"Dizzy," he answered. 

Keith wasn’t lying. Not really. 

The whole thing was becoming more stressful than he had imagined.   


“Keith,“ Shiro approached. His face looked tense, even though he tried not to look like it.   


"I'm fine, Shiro," he said, rougher than he intended.   


“Do you want some water?” Lance asked.   


The lights of the place changed, blinking, turning on, off and changing color to the rhythm of the music.   


Shiro's eyes brushed sharply away from Keith. He followed something with his eyes. Keith's heart raced again when he realized, he turned back abruptly, unintentionally pushing Romelle's arm away.   


Between the lights of the club, something moved as if it were part of the lights show. The delicate trail of rose-colored smoke was characteristic of his cupid’s arrows. It bounced between the glasses all over the place as if the crystal acted as a magnet. There was still time to do something while the arrow flew freely, but it was only a matter of time before it hit someone.   


He followed the arrow with his gaze, thinking of how to stop it. Maybe he could get it back, after all it was the last shot he had. But throwing another arrow would be counterproductive. Besides, he didn’t even know if he could do it, maybe he would have to ask Shiro or Romelle to do it for him.   


The light of the arrow passed somewhere behind Lance and Keith met face to face with Lance's worried eyes.   


“Hey, are you sure you're okay?” Lance leaned toward him, turning all plans on his head. Shiro and Romelle followed the arrow with their eyes.   


How could they do something with Lance in front?   


“Why don’t you two go back to the dance floor?” Romelle asked, forcing a smile.   


“I don’t think it's a good idea, specially if Keith doesn’t feel well.”

Keith exchanged glances with Shiro and Romelle and they both nodded, under Lance's confused gaze. "I'm fine," he said. He took Lance's wrist to take him away while letting his friends take over his mistake, ignoring the guilt he felt with each step.   


“Watch out!” He heard Shiro scream.   


By the time Keith turned, the delicate pink smoke was just disappearing from Lance's chest.   


Oh no. No, no,  _ nonononono. _   


Lance staggered a little. Keith was on him at once.   


“Are you okay?”   


What followed next, would have been funny had Keith not been a cupid.   


The clouds of confusion that had clouded his eyes by the arrow dissipated as soon as Lance recognized Keith in front of him. They shone with tenderness and with something else that, once again, Keith could not interpret. Lance blinked and his gaze changed to one that terrified the angel more.   


That kind of look people have - if the are fortunate enough - those who find true love, sincere and pure, and are willing to fight for it.   


Lance looked at him as if it was his world.

This was very wrong.

“Do your eyes always shine like this?” He asked, smiling so sweetly that Keith could feel his knees tremble.   


"Oh no," said Romelle a few steps back.   


“What do I do now?” Keith approached Shiro.   


"We have to break the spell," he said, pursing his lips.   


“How?”

“We have to break his heart," said Romelle.   


“Again? No!”   


“It was going to happen anyway.”   


“Uh ... is everything okay?” Lance asked.   


“Yes! Just ... stay there and don’t move," Keith told him.   


"I thought you wanted to dance." Lance pointed over his shoulder to the dance floor with his thumb.   


"Just give me a minute." Keith hoped his voice would not sound as imploring as he had heard it. “I don’t want to break your heart. He is the second person I have under my charge.”   


"Keith, you already used your three shots," Shiro said.   


“Listen, it's not the most orthodox thing to do, but we can’t leave him like that. If you let me do my job, we can fix this, "Romelle asked.   


Keith turned to Lance, who was waiting for him with that sweet glow in his eyes. Matt and Nyma beyond, lost among the mass of people.   


“Okay.”   


Romelle disappeared among the people, probably to get a better view of Matt and Nyma.   


The familiar weight of Shiro's hand fell on his shoulder.   


“You okay?”   


“No. But I have to do something to solve this.”   


“Keith-”   


“Can we talk about this when we return? So many things are happening and I can’t have a mental break down and collapse here.”   


Shiro smiled sadly, understanding.   


“You can with this, I trust you.”   


At any other time, that phrase would have done wonders to cheer him up, but at that moment, it felt more like Shiro knew something bad was going to happen. The heaviness that carried those words settled in his mind, refusing to move. preventing him from thinking clearly and making him feel useless. As a true rookie in the field. 

Since he had come to Earth, everything seemed more complicated than he imagined. He felt as if everything he had learned and all the time he had spent preparing to do his job have been in vain.   


He dragged Lance to dance floor, getting into the crowd as best he could until he found a spot where Matt and Nyma were in Lance's sight.

He knew it wasn’t going to be nice, but he would be there for Lance. He had caused it and he wasn’t going to abandon him at this moment.   


“Are you sure you're okay?”   


“Yeah, it's just ... I have many things in my head.”   


“Do you want a glass of water? We could go to the bar and-”    


“I'm fine, Lance.”   


Lance didn’t seem to believe him, but he smiled anyway. At some point in the song, he had taken the opportunity to get closer to Keith and place his hands on his waist as he moved to the beat of the music.   


Keith felt the energy shift around him. The atmosphere somehow felt more intimate with Lance so close to him. As if the change in the rhythm of the music was building a moment between the two of them.   


The lights fell on Lance’s blue eyes making them glow and his face gleamed with every change of color in the blinking lights.

Maybe it was the effect of the arrow reflecting on the object of the affection the spell was causing, but the music made him feel dragged to Lance irremediably. The atmosphere, the movements of his hips, the warmth of his body against his, his blue eyes full of adoration, the music.   


Everything was too much.   


For a moment Keith forgot where he was. The rest of the people moving around them didn’t matter. It was like being wrapped in a bubble he didn’t want to leave because he felt really at peace. He enjoyed the closeness, the warmth. And he hadn’t even realized when he had begun to imitate Lance's movements until he let himself get carried away by the music.   


They were close, very close to each other. The music attracting them more and more as if it were a spell, and it could well be.   


Keith blinked, remembering why he was so close to Lance. His movements wavered for a second, but he didn’t stop. He continued to dance while he was grateful that Lance hadn’t noticed. And then he noticed how close his face was to Lance's. Of how subtly he approached following the melody.   


Looking at his lips was a mistake. As soon as his eyes fell on Lance's mouth he couldn’t move them away, wondering how it would feel to be able to touch them, to kiss him.   


_ No _ , Keith looked away aggressively.  _ Focus Keith, snap out of it. _

That‘s how the effects of the arrows felt? It was like being dragged by the current of a river, not wanting to swim towards the shore. Just float on it.   


His eyes found Shiro from behind Lance, sitting at the same table. His expression was severe, almost as if he was upset. His lips pressed into a tense straight line as he watched him dance with Lance.   


Keith frowned, confused. Was he mad at him? Was he mad of Keith failing and that he had to help him solve his problem?   


Maybe he had disappointed him.   


They exchanged glances and Keith felt his body stiffen. Shiro gave him a worried and almost imploring look. His face darkened when he looked away. Keith knew that expression well. He was blaming himself for something.   


His attention focused on something to his right. Keith followed his sight and found Romelle positioned close to Matt and Nyma. She danced with someone else, but when she noticed Keith's gaze on her, she just nodded and Keith understood.   


She was ready to shoot.   


He turned to Lance, probably scared, because Lance looked at him confused. He opened his mouth to say something, but Keith turned around again.   


Romelle's bow looked like another piece of jewelry and the bar lights made it shine as if it had diamonds embedded in it.   


While dancing, she surrounded the arm of the person she danced with and in a single professional movement, the arrow flew from the crossbow, separating in two, both hitting their target.   


Again, Keith felt the time pass slowly.   


He saw how the environment surrounding Matt and Nyma change. He saw Matt cradled Nyma’s face and kissing her tenderly.

He felt the heaviness that invaded Lance in his own heart. When he turned to see him, his blue, crystalline eyes had flooded with sadness, imitating the sea in a storm. The need to turn Lance and keep him from looking over seized him, along with the desperation to hold him.   


"Lance," he spoke without realizing it, surprised by the sound of his voice.   


Lance looked away and focused on Keith again. Even though Lance kept looking at him with affection, Keith could see the pain crossing and reflected in his eyes.   


It was an almost palpable sensation for Keith.   


“You're okay?”   


But to his surprise, he smiled at him. A smile that Keith already knew, flirtatious and insinuating.   


“Yeah, what about you?” He asked, voice low and somewhat scratchy. Probably because of the knot that had formed in his throat, Keith knew it was there because he could feel it as his own.   


“Me?” He said incredulously. Lance was asking about him as if it was Keith the one with a broken heart.   


“Don’t you feel dizzy?”   


“Oh, you mean that. No, I uh ... I feel better," he said, lowering the tone of his voice as he spoke.   


Less stressed? Yes.

Less guilty and wrong? No.

He was happy because Nyma and Matt would have a good relationship, and it hadn’t been Keith’s influence. Or at least the angelic part of him. But Lance was his priority and he had disappointed him.   


He looked for his friends on the club and smiled at the thought of the word. As if he were really going to stay in that social circle once everything was over. His eyesight stopped on Shiro once more.   


If Shiro was there, there was a good chance that they would accept him too. Maybe he could stay with them a little longer.   


But Shiro was in charge of the bookstore, it was part of the facade to have a social life.   


Katie turned with the same boy who had invited her to dance. Hunk and Shay were coming back to the table.   


“Do you want us to go for something to drink?” Lance asked.   


_ No. I don’t. _   


Matt and Nyma were together. The effects of the arrow in Lance would disappear completely at any time. The problem was solved except for the fact that he no longer had arrows to use in Lance.   


Then why he didn’t want to stop dancing with Lance?   


Why he didn’t want to leave that bubble of peace that had wrapped him and burst a few seconds ago, but seemed to be there for him even though he felt different?   


He shook his head, smiling shyly.   


“Can we stay here a little longer?”

“Sure.”   


After them, Romelle returned with Shiro. Keith guessed she had asked how everything had gone or where he was, because Shiro pointed them out. That tense expression hadn’t left his face and was the same one Romelle put on when she found them dancing.   


But Lance seemed distracted enough with him to notice Matt and Nyma together. Until the song ended. The music continued to vibrate, but Lance pulled him towards him. His hair tickled his skin and his warm breath made a chill run down Keith’s skin as he spoke.   


"I need to drink something," Lance said in his ear.   


Keith swallowed heavily and nodded.   


They returned to the table, where Hunk and Shay were chatting animatedly, while Lance approached the bar for drinks.   


A purple flash down the stairs distracted him. It seemed that he couldn’t have a moment of rest.   


Keith’s heart hammered again when Allura entered the room wrapped in a bright purple dress. She wore her long white hair tied in a high ponytail and smiled up the stairs towards a tall man with hair as long as hers. Both called attention to where they passed.   


“Oh no!” Hunk buffed next to him "Allura is here too," he said worriedly.   


"And with Lotor," Shay said.   


“Do you know them?” Keith asked her.

"Allura and Lotor have been dating for a few months, but it seems to be serious," Shay told him.   


“Lance will feel terrible. He barely knows her, but seeing your crush with someone else is still a blow. And Matt and Nyma seem to have just formalized their relationship." Hunk took Shay's hand in his.   


Keith swallowed, realizing what was happening.   


Three arrows, three crushes.   


And it was all his fault.   


When Allura came over to say hello, everyone smiled. Lotor seemed a good person, almost distilled the same elegance as her. And without being able to avoid it, Keith saw how the energy of Lotor and Allura combined in a beautiful purple hue.   


They sat at the table too, when Lance came back to the table alone.   


“Where is Shiro?” Keith asked.   


"He left the place with Romelle," Hunk said, pointing over his shoulder with his thumb.   


"I didn’t know she was back, how is she?" said Allura.

“Loud,” Keith frowned without understanding, but he had work to do.   


Lance saw Allura and Lotor together and Keith felt the weight of his chest heaving.   


Well, there it was already.   


Everything Keith had caused because he hadn’t known how to do his job and that was killing him. HE had to fix it as soon as possible.   


The only problem was, he had no idea what to do to fix it.   


“Where did Shiro go?” He asked Hunk. He shrugged, smiling at him in apology.

“No idea, he just came out of here.”   


Just one look from Lance to the front to turned back to Keith.   


“Do you want something to drink?”   


Keith blinked.   


“Didn’t you just come back from the bar?” And his mind urged for advice.   


“So? Let's go?” He offered him his hand. Keith watched it for a moment.

Should he accompany Lance? 

At what extent was he getting involved if he did? But he could feel the sadness in Lance's bones. He looked at Hunk, who nodded at him and Shay gave him a pleading look.   


He supposed that since he was surrounded by couples, the only valid company left was him. And Hunk, being his best friend, understood it. With a gentle blow to his elbow, Keith understood that Hunk was asking him to take care of his friend.   


He nodded and got up with him.   


Lance led him to the bar. Keith knew that he was doing it to get away from Allura, Matt and more recently Nyma. Or at least that was at first.   


Lance talked about his friends very fondly with each glass of alcohol he drank, talked about his family and how he missed them. Keith smiled and laughed with him as he listened intently and waited for Shiro to reappear around the place, but when Lance's skin began to become flush, Keith became worried.   


"You're drinking too much," he said, resting his hand on Lance's glass to lower it just as he was taking a new sipp to his lips.   


"I don’t know what you're talking about," he said, lightly dragging the words.   


“You are thinking of using alcohol as a distraction, are you?”   


“We're in a bar, why wouldn’t I drink somethin’?”   


“It's not that you do it, it's  _ why _ you do it, do you feel fine?”   


"Excellent," he said, twisting his lips.   


“Then, don’t drink anymore.”

“And why not?!” Lance turned to him, lazily on the seat.   


“Lance, I don’t know how to deal with you while intoxicated. Please tell me you're not the type of drunk people that think they can go through the walls." Lance snorted amused.   


“Do people really do that?”   


"I've seen it." Keith shrugged.   


"It wouldn’t matter if I lose consciousness," he said, dodging Keith's hand over the glass. Keith put his eyebrows together.   


“Why do you say that?” He asked annoyed.   


“Because Hunk is here, and Pidge... Shiro started the flight,” he pointed to the stairs with the glass and then to Keith. “And I have you too.”   


“What? Lance we barely know each other, how do you know you can entrust me with your security?”   


Lance smiled again.   


“I don’t know. I feel safe with you. This is how it feels to be with good friends. Also, I know that everything I have to tell, you won’t divulge it. And your not the type of leaving people behind.”   


Friends? Lance considered him a friend? The effects of the arrow were taking longer to disappear than Keith thought. Maybe it was because Lance was affected by the alcohol. 

Yeah, that’s it. Lance was sad at the time, despite Keith's efforts to cheer him up a bit.

“How are you so sure?” He tried to annoy him, imitating his coquettish smiles.

"I don’t know," he repeated, leaving the empty glass to one side. "You're one of those people who gives a sense of calm. Like Hunk, but there is something different.”   


“So, do you consider me a friend?” Keith asked in a trembling voice, biting his lip.   


Lance looked at him strangely.   


“Of course! One strange and introverted friend, but yes.”   


And it was when Keith realized that Lance no longer had coherence of words, because he couldn’t be serious. Their interactions hadn’t been the right ones to foster a friendship. And there was still the factor that he should not interfere with Lance's life. Why did he keep doing this?   


"I think it's time to leave," Keith told him, getting up from the bench.   


“No! I don’t want to leave yet." Lance seemed ready to cling to the bar.   


Keith sighed wearily. That was exactly what he meant when he said he didn’t know how to deal with Lance while drunk. And where was Shiro when you needed him?   


"No me quiero ir," Lance moaned in spanish. "¿Por qué no me dejas divertirme, Keith?”   


"Porque no te estás divirtiendo, Lance." Keith replied in spanish as well. Lance looked at him perplexed. “What?” He asked again in english.   


“You speak Spanish,” Lance said.   


Keith put his hands to his mouth. Lance leaned in the bar towards him   


“You speak Spanish!” He said smiling.   


"Uh... yes." Keith looked away.   


“Why didn’t you tell me?”   


“You didn’t ask me.”

“How would I know?“ Lance must be at least drunk enough to speak in his mother tongue. His eyes fell on Keith again, expectantly. “Speak again.”   


“What?”   


“Speak again. In Spanish”   


“What do you want me to say?”   


“I don’t know, just do it again. Unless your spanish is not fluent enough." Lance smiled, raising an eyebrow. He was challenging him.   


"Mi español es tan fluido como el tuyo. " Keith narrowed his eyes.   


“Eso lo sabré hasta que tenga una conversación decente contigo.”   


“Estás hablando conmigo.”

“Oh, my God! You have such a nice accent." Lance leaned over the bar again with a stupid expression in his face. He laid his face on the palm of his hand and his elbow on the bar.   


"I..." Keith didn’t know what to answer, that reaction had taken him completely off guard. He couldn’t help the blush that rose up his cheeks, “...don’t think I have an accent?”   


“Of course you have it. Todos tienen uno.”   


“But ... uh ... Lance no creo-”   


"Oh, dilo otra vez," Lance said excitedly. He leaned so close to Keith that he almost fell out of his seat, but Keith caught him holding him with one hand on his chest. It was close, too close...   


“What?”   


“The r. You have good pronunciation." He smiled.   


“Thank you.”   


“Di cigarro.”   


“¿Cigarro?”   


“Eres tan bueno.”

“Lance, I think it's time you stop drinking and go home.”   


Lance frowned as if Keith had offended him.   


“I thought we were having a good time.”   


“We are! But I worry about you.”   


“Aaww, you care about me!”   


“Augh, for all my feathers! I can’t do this. Lance, I have to take you home." Keith pushed him gently to help him up on his bench. He couldn’t do it alone, so he looked for Hunk.   


Luckily for him, Shiro had returned to the table, now occupied by Katie, Hunk and Shay. He raised his arms to get his attention. When Shiro saw him, he walked towards him in the crowd of bodies.   


“Little help?” He asked. Shiro observed Lance, talking happily in Spanish with the bartender, his face betraying that he didn’t understand a single word of what Lance was saying.   


“Why did you let him drink?” He asked.   


"I didn’t know what to do," he said, feeling guilty.   


"Okay, I think it's time to leave," he agreed. “Wait here.”   


Keith saw him make his way again and back to the table. He didn’t see Romelle anywhere.   


Hunk got up from the table along with Shay and Katie accompanying him. The four arrived with Keith.   


Lance saw them and was even more animated. He got up from the bench quickly, stumbling over his own feet. Keith didn’t let him fall, and Lance didn’t seem to mind at all.   


“Hunk! Keith can speak Spanish!”

Hunk approached with a warm smile and passed Lance's arm around his shoulders.   


“I'm happy, buddy.”

Lance gestured.   


"His pronunciation is better than yours and Pidge's together." Hunk raised an eyebrow, questioning him with a serious look, but his face immediately softened.   


"Hey!" protested Katie.   


"Your accent is so cute." Lance let go of Keith, reloading his weight completely on Hunk. Keith blushed again.   


“Damn! I didn’t think he was going to be so bad," Hunk said. Then he looked down at Lance. “Okay buddy, I think it's time to get you out of here before you talk more.”

“No! I don’t want to leave," Lance protested. Hunk ignored him.   


"I didn’t expect it, normally he would have stayed at the table, but he left..." Pidge said, frowning slightly, as if trying to understand something, “with you.” 

Keith avoided her gaze.   


"I'm taking him home," Hunk announced, but Shiro rested his hand on his shoulder.   


"We'll do it," he assured him. Keith gave him a surprised look. “You and Shay can enjoy the rest of the night.”   


Hunk turned to see Shay, then Lance and finally Shiro, sighing.   


“Thanks, Shiro. But Lance is my best friend, I can’t leave him like that.”   


“Don't worry Hunk, I'm sure you can trust them to take him to the apartment.” Katie said, leaning on him.   


"It's not about trustworthy, it's that I wouldn’t feel good leaving Lance in that state while Shay and I stay here.”   


“And what does Shay think?” Keith asked her.   


"I don’t have a problem if you want us to go Hunk, if I’m being honest, I wouldn’t feel good either," she smiled sweetly.   


Hunk ducked his head.   


“God damn! Now I feel more guilty.”   


“Don’t be," said Katie. “I propose to end today's hang out. The music’s starting to get me deaf, anyway.”   


Hunk smiled, grateful.

“I still think that-” Hunk began   


“No Hunk, really. Take Shay and we'll take care of Lance," Shiro said. Keith heard the urgent tone of his friend, but nodded.   


"We'll call you when he's safe," Keith told him.   


Hunk seemed to hesitate a bit, but in the end he agreed. Katie went for Matt, and everyone said goodbye to Allura and Lotor. Like them, were already planning to retire.   


Keith was grateful that Shiro had a car. They took Lance to it and Keith sat with him in the back seat to make sure he was okay. Hunk, Matt, Shay and Katie were lost of sight of  after Shiro moved down the street, even though Shiro had offered to take them too.   


Lance didn’t take long to fall asleep and rest his head unconsciously on Keith’s shoulder, who turned his terrified gaze to the rearview mirror. When Shiro caught his gaze he smiled.   


“What do I do now?” He formulated with his lips.   


"Let him rest," Shiro whispered. Keith bit his lip and opted to get distracted by the landscape offered by the window, bypassing the worried look of his friend.   


“And where do we take him?”   


“Lance and Hunk live in an apartment not far from here.”   


“What about Katie?”   


“She and Matt live in the same building. Why? Do you want an apartment?”   


“No. The library is cozy. And I have free books all day.”   


“Where would you put so many, right?”   


Keith smiled.   


“Exactly.”   


When they reached the building, Shiro parked right in front.   


"He's still asleep," Keith told him. Shiro's lips twisted.   


“We'll have to carry him like that.”   


Keith's eyes widened.   


“What? Why? Can’t we just knock on the door?”

“Hunk’s not here yet. We carry him, put him in bed and we make his hangover morning not so serious.”   


“Why not wait for Hunk?”   


“Do you want to wait for Hunk after telling him you would take care of his best friend?” Shiro asked.   


"Ugh, okay," Keith said, making an effort to get out of the car without waking Lance. "How do we do this?"   


“You will do it. He is under your responsibility." Shiro crossed his arms and smiled playfully, pointing at his pendant. Keith looked at his and returned a nervous glance at Shiro.   


“You’re kidding?” He whispered, seeing Lance, sleeping peacefully in the backseat. "What if I wake him up?" He asked hopefully. Shiro raised an eyebrow, without erasing his smile. He knew that Keith wouldn’t do it since he still felt guilty about what had happened.   


"Fine," he said. He put his hand to the pendant. Once the disguise was gone, he put half of the body in the car to take Lance in his arms. He watched him for a moment. Lance looked tired.   


"Keith," Shiro called. Keith turned to see him. “I'll do it," he said suddenly, dislodging Keith. He looked worried and nervous. Maybe Shiro was afraid Keith was about to do something wrong or something happening to Lance.   


“No, you are right. It's my responsibility and my fault he drank so much." Keith spread his wings and wrapped one around Lance to protect him from the night breeze.   


"It's that window." Shiro pointed to one of the unlit windows.   


“I'll be right back.”   


And so, he flew to the building.

With a wave of his hand, the window opened and Keith entered, careful not to wake him. He kept his wings to move better within the space of the room.   


Keith placed Lance delicately on the bed and covered him with his blankets. Once ready, he turned to the window to exit, but remembered the next morning Lance’s head could be a hassle with all the alcohol he had drunk. He returned to the bed and ran his hand over his forehead, smiling.   


Ready, that way, if he were to suffer a hangover, the pain wouldn’t be so strong. He ran his hand down his cheek, feeling the pang of guilt pass through him again.   


“I'm sorry, Lance. Because of me you have a broken heart, but I'm going to fix it. I won’t leave until you find the love you long for, I promise," Keith whispered.   


He turned around to leave, when he heard Lance move between the sheets. Keith thought he might wake up but he was just getting more comfortable. He smiled and shook his head. He put one foot on the window sill, ready to jump when he heard Lance saying his name. He stopped in the act, feeling cold running through his veins. He turned his head towards him, but realized Lance was still asleep.   


He had called him in dreams, was he be dreaming of him? Why?   


Keith returned to his side, frowning, examining Lance. He was indeed asleep, so why?

He brought his face a little closer to Lance just out of curiosity, he had never been curious about the dreams of anyone and he wasn’t about to start now. With the bar lights out of the picture, Keith had a better view of his face. Tan skin, soft and full of almost imperceptible freckles and of which he hadn’t realized until that moment. Standing up and determined to leave, he went back to the window. He took one last look at Lance's face, convinced that he was sleeping peacefully. He looked so relaxed.   


Without further delay, he jumped out the window and landed in the garden with his wings outstretched.   


“Why did you take so long?” Shiro asked, leaning in the car with his arms crossed.   


"I thought..." He stopped, thinking about what he was going to say. There were so many things he wanted to know, to understand, but he needed to organize his thoughts. One thing at a time. He shook his head and kept moving forward.   


“What?”   


“Nothing important. Let's go back to the bookstore, I feel like my bed is calling me. He slid into the car, this time forward and waited for Shiro to start.

Much of the trip, he devoted himself to look out the window. Until Shiro decided to ask what was wrong.   


A tired sigh escaped his lips.   


“I should have seen it coming.”   


"Sometimes these things aren’t so obvious," Shiro said, not taking his eyes off the road.   


“You were right. My duty was not to shoot, at least not at that moment, why didn’t I realize it before?”   


“You're learning Keith, don’t blame yourself too much.”   


“How can I do that when it's my fault Lance has a broken heart?”   


“And what will you do now?”   


“My work,” he said confidently. “I must guide him and help him find the love he is looking for. But it means that I must get involved more than necessary." He gave her a worried, pleading look.   


“It’s necessary, but don’t worry. You already got into his life anyway." Shiro smiled.   


“But the rules-”

“Hey, that is for the common arrows and you don’t have any to use with Lance anymore. In this case you need to get closer to him.”   


“The point is that I still don’t know how. Lance said he considered me a friend. And I have so many questions-”   


“What are you talking about? Today we all leave together, it is a great step forward.”   


“But-”   


“Listen, I know it's complicated and maybe you feel somewhat uncomfortable, but you have to let it flow. Let things happen and before you know it, you will have helped him. I know you have a lot to ask, and I will help within I can, alright?”

Keith nodded, not to sure still.

They arrived at the bookstore. Shiro bolted the huge glass doors. Both went up to the rooms in silence. They passed through an open door. Inside the room, Romelle slept peacefully with a stuffed animal in her arms.   


Well, at least she had returned from the bar.   


Keith dropped into his bed after saying goodbye to Shiro and sending a message to Hunk.   


Watching the stars, he began to think about everything that had happened that night. He had danced with Lance and enjoyed it, but he had also fallen prey to his own magic.   


It was terrifying how irresistible it could be to be arrowed. What scared him the most was that he was sure he would have let himself be dragged if he were not an angel.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "No me quiero ir,/ I don’t want to leave.  
> "¿Por qué no me dejas divertirme, Keith?/ Why don’t you let me have fun?”  
> "Porque no te estás divirtiendo, Lance./ You are not having fun anymore /"  
> "Mi español es tan fluido como el tuyo. /My spanish is as fluent as yours/"   
> “Eso lo sabré hasta que tenga una conversación decente contigo. /That I’m gonna know once I have a good conversation with you/”  
> “Estás hablando conmigo. /You’re talking to me now/”  
> Todos tienen uno /Everyone has one/”.  
> "Lance no creo /I don’t think-/”  
> "Oh, dilo otra vez, /say it again/"  
> “Di cigarro. /Say cigarrete/”  
> “Eres tan bueno: /You’re so good/”  
> Some translations for your comfort and also, I have never been drunk in my life.   
> [My tumblr](https://crystalheartsthings.tumblr.com/)


End file.
